Construction of the Burnsville Lake project was begun in the summer of 1972 and the dam was completed in September 1976.

The lake project controls the runoff from a drainage area of 165 square miles (427 km2).

The minimum pool is maintained at elevation 776 feet (237 m) with a surface area of 550 acres (223 ha).

The flood control pool is at elevation 825 feet (251 m) with a surface area of 1,900 acres (769 ha).

Many people in Burnsville and surrounding communities opposed the building of the dam since the back waters would flood areas currently occupied and locations of ancestral homes.