Largest lakes & reservoirs in 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 2151 articles we have published for lakes.
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Below are lakes within Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in , only the 2151 lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Water vol. in ac-ft |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Colebrook River Lake, CT/MA (Connecticut, Litchfield Hills Region, CT, Massachusetts, US New England Region, USA, Western Massachusetts) |
43,778 ac-ft | (Also known as Colebrook River Reservoir) With over 800 acres of boating and fishing waters, with no residential development, Colebrook River Lake – straddling the Connecticut and Massachusett… |
| Senecaville Lake, OH (Ohio, Southeast Ohio, US Midwest Region, USA) |
43,500 ac-ft | (Also known as Seneca Lake) Senecaville Lake, also known as Seneca Lake, is the third largest inland lake in Ohio with 3,550 acres. Senecaville Lake is conveniently located in so… |
| Copan Lake, OK (Green Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
43,400 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Copan, Copan Reservoir) Named after a small town situated near its banks in Oklahoma, Copan Lake was completed in 1983. Flood control, water supply, water quality control, re… |
| South Long Lake (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
43,096 ac-ft | (Also known as Upper South Long Lake, Lower South Long Lake, Brainerd Lakes) South Long Lake near Brainerd, Minnesota in Crow Wing County offers 2,115 acres of scenic beauty with a shoreline surrounded by rolling hills covered… |
| Standley Lake, CO (Colorado, Front Range Region, CO, US West Region, USA) |
43,000 ac-ft | A welcoming oasis on Colorado’s dry Front Range region, Standley Lake draws residents and visitors alike to its shores. Unsung sentinel to the north D… |
| Pelican Lake, WI (Lake Superior Northwoods Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
42,860 ac-ft | Oneida County in Wisconsin’s Northwoods has over a thousand lakes and over 68,000 acres of water making it one of the largest concentrations of water… |
| Bardwell Lake, TX (Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
42,800 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Bardwell) Bardwell Lake is a vast, sparkling palate of wet and wild opportunity near Ennis, Texas, not far from the hustle and bustle of Dallas-Fort Worth. The… |
| Morrow Point Reservoir, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
42,120 ac-ft | Only something truly breathtaking and extraordinary would make it worth carrying a kayak down 232 steps. The steep, rocky cliffs meeting the clear blu… |
| Lake Meredith, CO (Colorado, Southeast Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
41,413 ac-ft | Water sports reign supreme on Lake Meredith, which covers more than 5,500 acres in Southeastern Colorado’s Crowley County. Boating, jet skiing, fishin… |
| Beltzville Lake, PA (Northeastern Mountains Region, PA, Pennsylvania, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
41,250 ac-ft | (Also known as Beltzville Reservoir) The Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains are spectacular for many reasons, and Beltzville Lake is one of them. Located in the southern foothills of these fam… |
| Swan Lake ME (Maine, Mid-Coast Region, ME, US New England Region, USA) |
41,217 ac-ft | Surrounded by fishing camps, cabins and vacation rentals, and just a few miles from Belfast Bay and the coast, Swan Lake is a fantastic mid-coast Main… |
| Salt Fork Lake, OH (Ohio, Southeast Ohio, US Midwest Region, USA) |
41,100 ac-ft | Salt Fork Lake is a 3,000-acre recreational gem nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Guernsey County in Ohio’s Southeast tourism r… |