Largest lakes & reservoirs in Central Virginia by water volume
The estimated volume of water that a lake contains is measured at the lake’s normal elevation. By this measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Siberia’s Lake Baikal.Water Volume can be measured in acre-feet, in cubic miles, or in cubic kilometers. One acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre (43,560 square feet) to a depth of one foot. One cubic mile equals 3,379,200 acre-feet. One cubic kilometer equals 810,713 acre-feet. 1 acre-foot is equal to 325,851 US gallons. Siberia’s Lake Baikal contains about 6,276,367,740,000,000 gallons of freshwater – nearly 1 million gallons for every living person on earth.
The other – and more widely used – measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s surface acreage. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is North America’s Lake Superior.
Note: In the United States, an acre foot is a unit of volume used to refer to large-scale bodies of water. It is defined by the volume of water needed to cover 1 acre of surface area to a depth of 1 foot.
You can find many of the the world’s largest lakes (by water volume) on LakeLubbers. Note: For some lakes, the water volume data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 10 articles we have published for Central Virginia lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > Virginia > Central Virginia > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in Central Virginia, only the 10 Central Virginia lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Water vol. in ac-ft |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Smith Mountain Lake, VA (Blue Ridge Highlands, VA, Central Virginia, Southern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
1,140,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Jewel of the Blue Ridge) With emerald green shores, sapphire blue skies, topaz blue waters, and soaring surrounding mountains, it’s clear why Smith Mountain Lake is nicknamed… |
| Leesville Lake, VA (Central Virginia, Southern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
94,960 ac-ft | (Also known as Leesville Reservoir) The 3000+ acre Leesville Lake is another of Virginia’s prolific fishing and outdoor recreation reservoirs. It is part of the Smith Mountain Lake hydro… |
| Swift Creek Reservoir, VA (Central Virginia, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
15,958 ac-ft | Surrounded by secluded communities, beautiful Swift Creek Reservoir is the perfect respite in the suburban jungle. Just 20 minutes southwest of Richmo… |
| Lake of the Woods, VA (Central Virginia, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
9,447 ac-ft | Nestled between Fredericksburg and Culpeper, Virginia, Lake of the Woods is a private residential community consisting of two lakes. Located in Centra… |