Largest lakes & reservoirs in Kansas 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 13 articles we have published for Kansas lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Kansas > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in Kansas, only the 13 Kansas lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Water vol. in ac-ft | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Kaw Lake, KS/OK (Kansas, Oklahoma, Red Carpet Country, OK, South Central Kansas, US Midwest Region, US Southwest Region, USA) |
406,540 ac-ft | (Also known as Kaw Reservoir) Kaw Lake is a large lake covering an area of 17,000 acres. Its three fingerlike “arms” lie in two midwestern states, Oklahoma and Kansas. Kaw Lake is… |
Milford Lake, KS (Kansas, Northeast Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
351,577 ac-ft | (Also known as Milford Reservoir) Milford Lake is the largest reservoir in Kansas with 163 shoreline miles and 16,000 surface acres. The lake offers abundant recreational opportunities… |
Tuttle Creek Lake, KS (Kansas, Northeast Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
253,265 ac-ft | (Also known as Tuttle Creek Reservoir) When construction of Tuttle Creek Dam began in 1952, the premise was that Tuttle Creek Lake would be a “dry dam” passing water on through to the river… |
Glen Elder Reservoir, KS (Kansas, North Central Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
241,460 ac-ft | (Also known as Waconda Lake) Glen Elder Reservoir, also known as Waconda Lake, is one of the most scenic and popular outdoor attractions in Kansas. Located in north central Kansas… |
Wilson Lake, KS (Kansas, North Central Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
235,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Wilson Reservoir) Nicknamed the “Clearest Lake in Kansas”, Wilson Lake is located in the heart of the Smoky Hills of central Kansas. This reservoir is an unexpected jew… |
Perry Lake (Kansas, Northeast Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
209,513 ac-ft | (Also known as Perry Lake Reservoir) Tucked neatly into the northeast region of Kansas about 40 miles west of Kansas City, Perry Lake Reservoir provides tons of fun for those lucky enough… |
Cheney Reservoir, KS (Kansas, South Central Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
168,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Cheney Lake) Cheney Reservoir is the premier recreation spot for outdoor activity in south central Kansas. Constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation, it was complet… |
El Dorado Lake, KS (Kansas, South Central Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
153,444 ac-ft | Completed in 1981, South Central Kansas’ El Dorado Lake is an 8,000-acre reservoir bordering the stunning tall grass prairies and rolling mounds of th… |
Melvern Lake (Kansas, Southeast Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
151,256 ac-ft | (Also known as Melvern Resevoir) Melvern Lake is the perfect spot in dry southeast Kansas to enjoy a week at the lake. Built in 1972 as a flood control reservoir, Melvern Lake now off… |
Clinton Lake, KS (Kansas, Northeast Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
110,400 ac-ft | (Also known as Clinton Reservoir) Clinton Lake is a 7,000-acre reservoir located in northeastern Kansas, just south of Interstate 70 near Lawrence (between Topeka and Kansas City). Con… |
Hillsdale Lake, KS (Kansas, Northeast Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
76,300 ac-ft | (Also known as Hillsdale Reservoir) The boat glides slowly over the tops of the submerged trees. Carefully he stalks them, intent as any predator. It’s early summer on Hillsdale Lake, an… |
Kanopolis Lake, KS (Kansas, North Central Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
50,273 ac-ft | Kanopolis Lake is a man-made reservoir located near Ellsworth, Kansas. The lake is the result of a dam constructed from 1940-1948 on the Smoke Hill Ri… |