The Atwood Lake dam is on the west end of the lake and is maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Atwood Lake is located at the western edge of Dellroy in western Carroll County along OH-542. The dam is in Tuscarawas County on OH-212. The eastern part of Atwood Lake Park is in Carroll County and the western part is in Tuscarawas County.

The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District was organized under state law in 1933 for the primary purpose of flood control, conservation, and recreation. The first waters to form the permanent lakes were impounded in 1938. In 1939 the flood control aspect became the responsibility of the United States Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Ohio-Mississippi Flood Control Program.