Largest lakes & reservoirs in Texas 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 68 articles we have published for Texas lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Southwest Region > Texas > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in Texas, only the 68 Texas lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Water vol. in ac-ft |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| 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… |
| 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 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… |
| Richland Chambers Lake, TX (Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,136,600 ac-ft | (Also known as Richland Chambers Reservoir) Richland Chambers Lake (also called Richland Chambers Reservoir) was created between 1982 to 1987, making it the youngest lake in Texas. The Texas leg… |
| Lake Travis, TX (Hill Country Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,131,650 ac-ft | Lake Travis is a beautiful 18,930 acre reservoir in the Hill Country of central Texas, about 12 miles northwest of Austin. It is over 63 miles long wi… |
| Lake Tawakoni, TX (Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
927,440 ac-ft | Built for function but known for fun, Lake Tawakoni, Texas was formed after construction of the Iron Bridge Dam. Van Zandt County, Rains County, and H… |
| Lake Buchanan, TX (Hill Country Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
875,566 ac-ft | (Also known as "Big Buc") Lake Buchanan, the oldest and northernmost of the Highland Lakes, is known as “Big Buc” to the locals and anglers who regularly visit the area. It is… |
| Lake Meredith, TX (Panhandle Plains Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
779,556 ac-ft | (Also known as Meredith Reservoir) Lake Meredith is an impressive 16,441-acre reservoir in the Texas Plains Region of the Texas Panhandle, about 30 miles northeast of Amarillo. Managed… |