It is located in the Sancti Spíritus Province in central Cuba, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south-east of the city of Sancti-Spíritus and 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north-west of La Sierpe.

It was developed on the course of the Zaza River, which flows from Sierra del Escambray to the Tunas Channel in the Caribbean Sea and is Cuba's second longest river (after Rio Cauto).

The Zaza Dam was built over a 3-year period and was completed on December 7, 1971, at a cost of 27 million Cuban pesos.

The water of the reservoir is used to irrigate the farmlands to the south all the way to the Caribbean coast.

Fishing (both leisure and commercial) is also an important activity on the reservoir.