The concrete-faced
rock-filled dam wall is high and long. When full, the reservoir has capacity of and covers , drawn from a
catchment area of . The
uncontrolled spillway has a flow capacity of . The spillway is wide at the base, high, long, and is cut into
dolerite bedrock. Water from Lake Murchison is diverted to
Lake Mackintosh and the
Mackintosh Power Station by the Sophia Tunnel, as part of the Pieman power development that was completed in 1987. Upstream of the Murchison Dam is the White Spur Lake and dam,
Henty Dam and its reservoir, Lake Newton and dam, Lake Plimsoll and
Anthony Dam, and the Tribute Power Station. Downstream from the Murchison Dam is Lake Mackintosh, Tullabardine Dam, Mackintosh Dam, Mackintosh Power Station,
Lake Rosebery,
Bastyan Dam,
Bastyan Power Station,
Lake Pieman, Reece Dam and the
Reece Power Station. Hydro Tasmania completed an upgrade of the dam wall and spillway to improve flood capacity. The crest wall was raised by , completed in 2020; and the spillway's right chute wall was raised between , completed in 2025. Given the remote location of the dam wall, access to the facility proved challenging. ==Etymology==