It was commissioned by John Erskine, 23rd and 6th Earl of Mar, to designs by George Sorocold, and is one of the earliest constructed reservoirs in Scotland.

Gartmorn Dam was commissioned by John, Earl of Mar, a Scottish noble and estate owner, who had received training in drawing and architectural design, and was said to be 'infected with the desease of building'.

[1] Its purpose was to provide a sufficient head and volume of water to drive mining pumps supporting the extractive industry of Alloa.

[2] The dam, lake and associated waterworks were designed by and built, from 1711 to 1712, by English civil engineer George Sorocold.

[2] The reservoir's dam, some 320 yards (290 m) in length, was reconstructed in hewn stone in 1785 at a cost of several thousand pounds; and extensive repairs were made in 1827, to avert concerns that the structure might fail and inundate the lower parts of the town.