Built by the Orchard Irrigation District in the 1930s, the 1,282-acre (5.19 km2) lake can hold about 49,000 acre-feet (60,000,000 m3) of water, which is used to irrigate about 2,300 acres (930 ha) of farmland downstream.

Draining a semi-arid rangeland basin of 254 square miles (660 km2), the reservoir receives very high concentrations of nutrients and is naturally eutrophic.

[2] About 80 percent of the 12.3-mile (19.8 km) shoreline is privately owned,[2] but the lake and part of the shore is open to public use.

[3] During wet cycles, it is capable of producing trout in excess of 20 inches (51 cm) long.

[3] The lake is accessible by dirt road, starting either from an intersection with U.S. Route 26, about 15 miles (24 km) to the southwest, near Ironside, or from a different intersection with Route 26, about 15 miles (24 km) to the southeast near Brogan.