The earthen dam was constructed between 1919 and 1921 by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, with a height of 54 feet and 1260 feet long at its crest.
[1] Salmon Lake Dam impounds Salmon Creek for flood control and irrigation storage, part of the larger Okanogan Project.
Both are owned by the Bureau and operated by the local Okanogan Irrigation District.
The reservoir it creates, Conconully Lake, has a maximum capacity of 15,700 acre-feet.
Recreation includes fishing (for rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and smallmouth bass), boating, camping, hiking and wildlife viewing.