The dam was developed as a means of providing reliable irrigation to located between the Wasatch Range and the Great Salt Lake. It was built as part of the Ogden River Project, which included the Pineview Dam and Reservoir, Ogden Canyon Conduit, Ogden-Brigham Canal, South Ogden Highline Canal and a gravity-pressure distribution located in the South Ogden Conservation District. Its shape is similar to that of an airliner, or a bird.