[2] Its completion is marked by the creation of the Samuel P. Senior dam[3] of the Saugatuck River in January 1942,[4] and provides water to several of the nearby towns.

The Saugatuck Reservoir utilizes an uncontrolled spillway adjacent to the Samuel P. Senior dam that effectively limits the maximum water level.

There is also a concrete levee positioned on the southeastern side of the reservoir that prevents water from flooding Trout Brook Valley.

Bridgeport Hydraulic Company Holdings (now owned by Aquarion) flooded the Saugatuck River Valley after 1938,[6][7] removing the villages of Hull and Valley Forge[8][9] to create the Saugatuck Reservoir.

[11] The Saugatuck is the largest of the eight reservoirs that make up Aquarion’s greater Bridgeport water system.