Part of the Capilano River Regional Park, it stores a portion of the Lower Mainland's drinking water.

[6] In 2001, four fishermen were trapped in the river when the water level surged without a warning after the spillway's drum gate inadvertently dropped open.

[6] WorkSafeBC issued several orders to reduce the risk to workers and the public, including but not limited to: "spillway gate lockout, access to the riverway by workers where lockout is not required, mancheck systems, emergency rescue and evacuation, public warning signage, and warning alarms".

[6] On October 1, 2020, the dam's drum gate opened unexpectedly during maintenance, causing water to gush out onto Capilano River.

The popular recreation site had many people scrambling to get out of the way while others in safe areas witnessed their rush to escape.

The Amazon TV series The Man in the High Castle features the dam in several scenes during the first season of the show as a meeting location near Canon City, within the neutral zone.