Until 2013, the dam provided irrigation water for two canals that serve 150,000 acres (61,000 ha) of farmland on the west side of the Sacramento Valley.

In 2013, the dam was decommissioned and the river allowed to flow freely through the site in order to protect migrating fish.

[6] This water is now lifted directly from the Sacramento River via a pumping plant constructed as part of the Red Bluff Fish Passage Improvement Project.

[2] While the dam is relatively small, it has historically blocked passage of salmon, steelhead and sturgeon runs on the Sacramento River with resulting detrimental impact on these fish populations.

Starting in 1987, the dam gates were left open between December 1 and April 1 to help the winter Chinook salmon run.

[10] By 2008, the dam gates were open in all months except for the primary irrigation season of mid-May to mid-September, but the migrating fish count remained low.

[8] In 2009, the National Marine Fisheries Service mandated that the dam gates be opened year round, allowing the river to flow freely.

[12] The decommissioning has been controversial, as it resulted in the loss of Lake Red Bluff, the reservoir originally formed behind the dam and a popular recreation spot in the area.