It was formally opened to tourists in 1959. The water of the lake is always green and clean, so it was given another name-Cheng-ching Lake-meaning clear in 1964.
民國四十八年正式開放為南部風景觀光區，因湖中水深而清，且四時紺碧，於是在民國五十三年又改名為「澄清湖」，以符實際。