It was formed at the end of the last glaciation, as an outflow channel from the Baltic Ice Lake to the Atlantic Ocean and nowadays it has the largest drainage basin in Scandinavia.

In the summer months the spillway of the dam is opened for a few minutes daily and tourists gather to see the water rushing down the river (picture).

There are concerns about whether the maximum permitted discharge of 1,000 m3/s (35,000 cu ft/s) is enough in a scenario where heavy rain floods the lake Vänern, causing considerable damage.

In this situation, Göta älv was allowed a discharge of 1,100 m3/s (39,000 cu ft/s) for months causing a big risk of landslides.

In Old Norse the river was called the Gautelfr;[4] in Icelandic it is Gautelfur; and in Norwegian it is sometimes rendered as Gøtelv.