The concrete buttress dam was constructed between 1926 (99 years ago) (1926) and 1928 (97 years ago) (1928) by the United States Bureau of Reclamation, with a height of 153 feet (47 m) and 868 feet (265 m) long at its crest.

[1] Structurally it is a relatively early example of an Ambursen-type dam, using contraction joints between all face slabs and buttresses for stability.

It impounds Stony Creek for irrigation storage and flood control.

The dam is owned by the Bureau and is operated by the local Orland Unit Water Users` Association.

[5] The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has developed a safe eating advisory for fish caught in the Stony Gorge Dam based on levels of mercury or PCBs found in local species.