The reservoir is located along Canal Road on the west side of Defiance.

In March 2007, the city of Defiance began construction of the Defiance Reservoir. In the past, the Maumee River served as the sole water supply for the city and now, the reservoir acts as a pretreatment basin to provide a more consistent water quality to the treatment plant. The reservoir contains approximately 350,000,000 gallons of water with a total water surface area of 74 acres. The average depth of the reservoir is 18 feet. The perimeter of the upper bank of the reservoir is approximately 1.6 miles.

The reservoir has a boat ramp on the northwest corner of the reservoir. No gasoline motors are permitted on the reservoir (electric only).