The main purpose of the dam and reservoir are the production of electricity and the regulation of the flow of the Grande River.

Near the beginning of 2022, mass amounts of rain caused a large rock to fall and kill 10 people.

The large reservoir, with a surface area of 1,473 square kilometres (569 sq mi), started to form in 1963, bordering thirty-four municipalities.

The volume of water is seven times that of Guanabara Bay, at 22,590 million cubic metres (18,310,000 acre⋅ft).

Normal water level averages at 768 metres (2,520 ft).