The United States Army Corps of Engineers built the 100-foot-high earthen dam primarily as a flood control project for the Mississippi River.

[1] The lake has a capacity of 461,200 acre⋅ft (568,900,000 m3) of water, equal to 137.18 billion gallons at its "100 year flood" level of 712-foot (217 m).

[2]: 2 Water first flowed over the 712-foot (217 m) emergency spillway on July 5, 1993 (see Great Flood of 1993), reaching a then-record crest.

[5] The lake and surrounding shoreline have been extensively developed for public recreational use, including hiking, biking, camping, fishing and boating.

[6] There are 11 recreation areas, 4 swimming beaches, 3 marinas, 18 boat ramps, 3 campgrounds (total of 620 campsites), 7 large picnic shelters, 2 disc golf courses, and 7 trails (total of 29 miles).