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 |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Lake, BC (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
284 ac-ft | Magic Lake Estates are found along the shore of Magic Lake and spread toward the coast and forested hills of North Pender Island, one of British Colum… |
| Fenton Lake (New Mexico, Northwest New Mexico, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
264 ac-ft | Tucked away in the Jemez Mountains of Northwest New Mexico, little Fenton Lake carries a large part of the recreational opportunities in the area. Les… |
| Bass Lake, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
240 ac-ft | Sitting snug amongst rhododendron trees, white pines and the 3,500-acre Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, Bass Lake is the picture of both tranquility and… |
| Mummelsee (Baden-Wurttemberg Region, Germany, Germany) |
225 ac-ft | (Also known as Mummel Lake) Legends swirl around Mummelsee (see=lake) in the northern Black Forest. The Black Forest, in Germany’s Baden-Wurttemberg region, is a land of fairy ta… |
| Anderson Pond, CT (Connecticut, Mystic Country Region, CT, US New England Region, USA) |
217 ac-ft | (Also known as Blue Lake, Anderson's Pond) Anderson Pond is a delightful 57-acre lake located in southeastern Connecticut four miles north of North Stonington. Also known as Blue Lake, and some… |
| Lake Madrone, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
200 ac-ft | (Also known as Madrone Lake) Lake Madrone might be small at just 25 acres, but it is anything but scant on looks. The lake is a phenomenal beauty surrounded by a gated mountain co… |
| Wildcat Lake, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
168 ac-ft | In 1932 construction of a dam on Wildcat Creek impounded 13-acre Wildcat Lake. Originally created as a reservoir for the hydroelectric plant and an em… |
| Lake Bratan (Indonesia) |
161 ac-ft | (Also known as Bratan Lake , Beratan Lake, Danau Beratan) Lake Bratan’s water temple, the Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, is one of the most-photographed cultural features on the Island of Bali. The Hindu temple, buil… |
| Twain Harte Lake (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
143 ac-ft | Set in historic California Gold Country, Twain Harte Lake sparkles like a small mountain gem. Originally home to a village of Mi-Wuc Native Americans… |
| Lake Pauline (Southern Windsor County, VT, US New England Region, USA, Vermont) |
140 ac-ft | (Also known as Reservoir Pond) Lake Pauline is a great example of creating an asset out of a by-product of technology. This small lake in Vermont’s Southern Windsor County region wa… |
| Nottingham Lake, CO (Colorado, Northwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
100 ac-ft | (Also known as Benchmark Lake, Benchmark Lake Reservoir) Nottingham Lake sits at the heart of Avon, Colorado. A source of water, recreation and pride, Nottingham Lake is surrounded by the beauty of west cent… |
| Lake Powhatan (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
79 ac-ft | Just outside of Asheville in North Carolina’s Mountains region, little Lake Powhatan offers a refreshing change of pace to the city. The reservoir lie… |