[2][3] The reservoir has a surface area of 54 km2 and a volume of 525 million cubic meters.

Its water is used for irrigation in Armenia's Aragatsotn, Armavir and Shirak provinces.

[3] Its water is used in Turkey for irrigation (70000 ha agricultural area) in the provinces of Kars and Ardahan.

[5] On April 25, 1963, Turkey and the Soviet Union (which Armenia was part of at the time) signed an agreement on constructing a dam on Akhurian River and regulating the flow of four rivers into the reservoir.

[2] According to Armenian researchers, "the water system is polluted with heavy metals and different toxic materials.