[2] Located in the South Island of New Zealand and part of the Waitaki River,[2] it was created in the 1960s by construction of Benmore Dam.

It also described the quality of ecological conditions as "high", with a lake submerged plant indicators score of 72.0%.

[4] The lake is split between the Mackenzie, Waimate, and Waitaki districts, within the southern portion of the Canterbury Region.

[5] After the lake was created the incidence of seismic shocks increased by a factor of three to six times.

[7] Besides being a reservoir for Benmore Dam, the lake is a fishing spot; in 2009 it was the second most-fished lake in New Zealand, with fish such as brown trout, rainbow trout, chinook salmon, and sockeye salmon.