It lies northwest of the city of Meknes and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Sidi Slimane, upstream from Dar bel Amri.

Winter floods of the Beth had created large merdjas on the Sebou's left bank, which would be ideal for cultivation once irrigation water was available.

[4] At first the colonial agriculture and public works administrations opposed construction of this and other dams, but the main settlers, led by Gaston Lebault, pushed the project forward.

[3] In 1928 Steeg's administration created a new colonization zone ("perimeter") located between Petitjean and Sidi Slimane.

This lack of planning is a serious problem in a region where silting imposes a finite lifespan on any storage dam.

The job was complicated by the difficulty of conducting deep excavation near the foundation and problems with making the new concrete bond to the old.