It also floods the lower reaches of the Blyde's Ohrigstad River tributary.

[1] The 71 m high dam wall and 22 m deep is situated 3 km from Swadini resort by road.

Its fundamental purpose is to provide a stable water supply for irrigators of the Blyde River Irrigation district and to provide additional water for mining and industry at Phalaborwa.

[1] Orchards and croplands were established along the lower Blyde in the latter half of the 20th century, with 23,521 ha devoted to irrigation in 1995.

[2] During 1965, the community that lived at the site of the proposed dam was resettled (with compensation) by the government to nearby towns, including Buffelshoek, Acornhoek, Beverleyshoek and Bushbuckridge.