Largest lakes & reservoirs in US Southwest Region 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 149 articles we have published for US Southwest Region lakes.
Thinking about booking a US Southwest Region lake vacation home rental, cabin or hotel?
Use our free interactive vacation rental map to search and compare multiple vacation properties at a glance. Enter a lake name, a state or city and then simply click on a listing to compare all similar properties, best rates and availability for your dates.Search results: Sort lakes by water volume
Below are lakes within USA > US Southwest Region > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in US Southwest Region, only the 149 US Southwest Region lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Water vol. in ac-ft |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Mead, AZ/NV (Arizona, Las Vegas Territory, NV, Nevada, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
28,537,000 ac-ft | Lake Mead is the USA’s largest man-made reservoir in amount of water it can hold. Although Lake Powell is marginally larger in acreage at full-pond, L… |
| Lake Powell, AZ/UT (Arizona, Canyonlands Region, UT, Color Country, UT, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
27,000,000 ac-ft | Lake Powell is located in one of Southern Utah’s most picturesque red-rock desert areas and in Arizona’s Navajo Indian Reservation. It is one of the U… |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir, LA/TX (Crossroads Region, LA, Louisiana, Piney Woods Region, TX, Texas, US South Region, US Southwest Region, USA) |
4,477,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Toledo Bend Lake) A grand experience is assured in visiting Toledo Bend Reservoir, renowned as the largest man-made aquatic body in the southern United States. Cradled… |
| Sam Rayburn Reservoir, TX (Piney Woods Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
3,997,600 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Sam Rayburn, McGee Bend Reservoir) Sam Rayburn Reservoir, lovingly called “Big Sam”, and formerly known as McGee Bend Reservoir, is the largest lake which lies completely within Texas.… |
| Lake Amistad, TX / Mexico (Hill Country Region, TX, Mexico, North Mexico, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
3,159,270 ac-ft | (Also known as International Amistad Reservoir) The Spanish word “Amistad” translates to “Friendship” in English … little wonder, then, that west Texas’ Lake Amistad is one of the Lone Star State’… |
| Lake Texoma, OK/TX (Arbuckle Country, OK, Oklahoma, Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
2,566,946 ac-ft | (Also known as Texoma Lake) An 89,000-acre jewel set into the landscape of Texas and Oklahoma, Lake Texoma is a sparkling wonder of deep blue water and beautiful green shores. Wi… |
| Falcon Lake, TX / Mexico (Mexico, North Mexico, South Texas Plains Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
2,371,220 ac-ft | (Also known as Falcon International Reservoir) WARNING – Fall 2010: Texas officials warn Americans visiting and boating on Falcon Lake to stay within USA waters and avoid the international boundary… |
| Eufaula Lake, OK (Green Country, OK, Kiamichi Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
2,300,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Eufaula) Spanning 105,000 acres, Eufaula Lake covers much of McIntosh and Pittsburg Counties in eastern Oklahoma. This “Gentle Giant” is the largest lake in su… |
| Elephant Butte Lake, NM (New Mexico, Southwest New Mexico, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
2,065,010 ac-ft | (Also known as The Butte, Elephant Butte Reservoir) With limited lake options in New Mexico, Elephant Butte Lake is a popular destination for water enthusiasts and nature lovers alike in the Land of Enc… |
| Ray Roberts Lake, TX (Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,930,900 ac-ft | (Also known as Ray Roberts Reservoir, Lake Ray Roberts, Lake Aubrey) Sprawling across the prairie in the Texas Prairies & Lakes Region, Ray Roberts Lake is one of the newest lakes in Texas. Named after a Texas legislato… |
| Lake Mohave, AZ/NV (Arizona, Las Vegas Territory, NV, Nevada, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
1,818,330 ac-ft | Lake Mohave is a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River that spans 28,260 acres. It is a part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and was cre… |
| Lake Livingston, TX (Piney Woods Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,750,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Livingston Reservoir) Sometimes referred to as a “water wonderland,” Lake Livingston is the second largest lake contained entirely within Texas. With over 450 miles of shor… |