The 141,900 acre-foot (175,000,000 m3) reservoir is formed by Salt Springs Dam on the North Fork of the Mokelumne River.

It is owned by Pacific Gas and Electric and its sole purpose is hydroelectricity production, though limited recreation is available.

A short pipeline from the reservoir conveys water to the 44 MW Salt Springs Powerhouse.

Some of the water is returned to the river downstream, but much of it flows into the Tiger Creek Conduit, a concrete flume that moves water downstream for use in other powerhouses in PG&E's Mokelumne River Project (FERC Project 137).

The dam has a history of settlement problems caused by poor consolidation of the rocks during construction.