[2] The river originates in the heights of the Canadian Rockies from Brazeau Lake (which is fed by creeks that flow from Coronet Glacier and the Queen Elizabeth Ranges) and flows east through the Rocky Mountains foothills until it merges into the North Saskatchewan River between Drayton Valley and Rocky Mountain House at Brazeau Forks.

The river, and various other local geographic features, were named after Joseph Brazeau, a Missouri-born fur trader working for the Hudson's Bay Company in the area between 1852 and 1864.

The earliest scheme to harness the power of the river was hatched in 1913 and involved a dam and storage on Brazeau Lake.

The plan was scuttled after the discovery of a large underflow at Brazeau Lake, precluding its use as a storage facility.

[2] An unusual feature of this hydroelectric development, commissioned in 1965, is a pump system capable of lifting water from the reservoir into the 20-kilometre (12 mi) long canal leading to the power plant so that it can operate at low reservoir water levels.