It was completed by Leighton Contractors in 1987 and is the largest lake in the state, with a capacity four times that of Sydney Harbour.

[5] In 2007, the scheme was supplying 103,000 hectares (250,000 acres) of land located about 200 kilometres (120 mi) inland from Townsville with water to grow a range of crops including sugarcane, cotton and rice.

[5] In 2012, Stanwell Corporation undertook a feasibility study into a proposed 37 megawatts (50,000 hp) hydroelectric power station below the dam wall.

This not only makes angling difficult but also means boating can be hazardous at high speeds due to the presence of submerged rocks.

[13] In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Burdekin Falls Dam was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "structure and engineering feat".