Largest lakes & reservoirs in North Carolina 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 45 articles we have published for North Carolina lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > North Carolina > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in North Carolina, only the 45 North Carolina lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Water vol. in ac-ft |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Kerr Lake, NC/VA (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, Southern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
3,364,500 ac-ft | (Also known as Kerr Reservoir, John H Kerr Reservoir, Buggs Island Lake, Buggs Island Reservoir) The 48,900-acre John H. Kerr Reservoir straddles the Virginia-North Carolina border. This impoundment of the Roanoke and Dan Rivers, completed by the… |
| Lake Jocassee, NC/SC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, South Carolina, The Upcountry, SC, US South Region, USA) |
1,185,000 ac-ft | Nestled into the pristine Appalachian mountains of northwestern South Carolina and southwestern North Carolina, Lake Jocassee reaches its watery depth… |
| Lake Norman, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
1,093,600 ac-ft | Lake Norman’s 32,510 acres garner it the superlative of being North Carolina’s largest manmade lake. An impressive 34 miles in length with 520 miles o… |
| Fontana Lake, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
513,965 ac-ft | (Also known as Fontana Reservoir) Fontana Lake, nestled in western North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains, was built by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to provide hydroelectric power to… |
| Lake Gaston, NC/VA (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, Southern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
450,000 ac-ft | Lake Gaston covers 20,300 acres along 34 miles of Virginia and North Carolina real estate. The lake was created in 1963 by the Virginia Electric and P… |
| High Rock Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
234,866 ac-ft | The northernmost of the Uwharrie Lakes, High Rock Lake enjoys its spot as North Carolina’s second largest reservoir entirely within the state: its wat… |
| Jordan Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
215,130 ac-ft | (Also known as B. Everett Jordan Reservoir, New Hope Lake) Jordan Lake, initially called New Hope Lake, is a 13,940-acre reservoir in central North Carolina’s Piedmont region, part of the Upper Cape Fear River… |
| Lake Hiwassee, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
205,590 ac-ft | (Also known as Hiwassee Reservoir or Hiwassee Lake) Lake Hiwassee is located in the mountainous region of North Carolina’s southwestern Cherokee County. Sitting in the Nantahala National Forest, it is a… |
| Lake Santeetlah, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
158,089 ac-ft | (Also known as Santeetlah Reservoir or Santeetlah Lake) High up in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina’s largely wild, westerly Graham County is Lake Santeetlah. Owned by Brookfield Renewable Energy… |
| Lake Hickory, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
137,821 ac-ft | Lake Hickory, situated in west central North Carolina near the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, is one of several man-made reservoirs in North Carolina’… |
| Nantahala Lake, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
137,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Nantahala) Nantahala Lake is one of the most pristine lakes in North Carolina. Located within the Nantahala National Forest at an elevation of 3,012 feet, the 1,… |
| Falls Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
131,395 ac-ft | In 1978, the United States Army Corps of Engineers began construction on what would become Falls Lake. Formed at the base of the Eno, Flat, and Little… |