The dam was built between 1941 and 1943 and created San Vicente Reservoir for the purpose of municipal water storage, flood control and recreation.

In June 2009, construction to raise the height of the dam by 117 ft (36 m), in order to more than double its reservoir size, commenced.

The outlet works, which release water for municipal use, connected the reservoir intake on the upstream side of the crest with San Vicente Pipelines 1 and 2 via three cast-iron pipes 36 inches (910 mm) in diameter.

[3] In 2006, the SDCWA awarded Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH) with a $20.4 million contract which included developing the raised-dam's design and other engineering services during construction.

Construction on the roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam raise is being managed by Black & Veatch and Parsons and was done in specific stages.

The reservoir, which was closed for recreation when construction began, will reopen between 2014 and 2017 depending on when it reaches normal levels.