Largest lakes & reservoirs in USA 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 1644 articles we have published for USA lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in USA, only the 1644 USA lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Water vol. in ac-ft | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Lake Pontchartrain, LA (Greater New Orleans Region, LA, Louisiana, US South Region, USA) |
4,838,400 ac-ft | Lake Pontchartrain technically isn’t a lake at all. In scientific circles, it’s referred to as an estuary. That’s really just a fancy way to say that… |
Shasta Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
4,552,000 ac-ft | Shasta Lake, one of the largest lakes in California, is an outdoor paradise of fresh blue water, awe-inspiring caverns, investigative trails, first cl… |
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… |
Moosehead Lake, ME (Maine, Maine Highlands Region, ME, US New England Region, USA) |
4,210,000 ac-ft | Moosehead Lake, nestled in the Longfellow Mountains in the Maine Highlands Region, is the largest lake in Maine. It has an elevation of 1,023 feet, bo… |
Kentucky Lake, KY/TN (Kentucky, Tennessee, US South Region, USA, West Tennessee, Western Waterlands Region, KY) |
4,008,000 ac-ft | Kentucky Lake is the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi when measured by surface acres at “full pond,” the normal water level: 184 miles lo… |
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 Cumberland, KY (Kentucky, Southern Lakes Region, KY, US South Region, USA) |
3,995,000 ac-ft | Lake Cumberland boasts an impressive 50,250 acres and 1,255 miles of winding shoreline at its normal full pool level of 723 feet above sea level. The… |
Flaming Gorge Reservoir, UT/WY (Dinosaurland Region, UT, Southwest Wyoming, US West Region, USA, Utah, Wyoming) |
3,788,900 ac-ft | With more than 42,000 acres of boating and fishing waters, surrounded by choice camping and picnic areas, Flaming Gorge Reservoir – straddling the Wyo… |
Hungry Horse Reservoir (Glacier Country, MT, Montana, US West Region, USA) |
3,468,000 ac-ft | Hungry Horse Reservoir in Montana’s Glacier Country offers a wealth of recreational opportunities to northwestern Montana visitors. The nearly 24,000-… |
Dworshak Reservoir, ID (Idaho, North Central Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
3,453,000 ac-ft | Dworshak Reservoir is an excellent outdoor recreation site with a great water playground of over 19,000 acres. Located in northern Idaho near the town… |
Bull Shoals Lake, AR/MO (Arkansas, Missouri, Ozarks Region, AR, Southwest Missouri, US Midwest Region, US South Region, USA) |
3,400,000 ac-ft | Tucked in the Ozark Mountains, Bull Shoals Lake offers year round opportunities for relaxation and recreation. With over 45,000 surface acres of water… |
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… |