The power station is situated on the Great Lake and South Esk catchment and is owned and operated by Hydro Tasmania.

A dam on the South Esk River diverts water through a 3.3-kilometre (2.1 mi)-long penstock pipeline to the power station.

Water flows underground for its entirety except for a short, 100-metre (330 ft)-long portion that leaves the ground near Pitt Avenue due to a valley intersecting the tunnel's course.

Trevallyn and Poatina are the only hydroelectric power stations currently located in the drainage basin of the South Esk River.

The power station and the open land for the transmission lines now serve as a border between the Launceston suburbs of Riverside and Trevallyn.