Largest lakes & reservoirs in California 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 75 articles we have published for California lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US West Region > California > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in California, only the 75 California lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Water vol. in ac-ft | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Topaz Lake, CA/NV (California, High Sierra Region, CA, Nevada, Renoe-Tahoe Territory, NV, US West Region, USA) |
59,440 ac-ft | (Also known as Topaz Reservoir) Topaz Lake is a man-made reservoir located on the border of Nevada and California, about 75 miles south of Reno, Nevada. The reservoir was built on th … |
Lake Arrowhead, CA (California, Inland Empire Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
47,418 ac-ft | (Also known as Little Bear Lake) In 1891 a group of Ohio businessmen formed a company to construct a reservoir to provide water to irrigate the southern California lowlands. Lake Arro … |
Copco Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
46,867 ac-ft | Copco Lake is tucked snugly away into the mountainous country of northern California’s Shasta Cascade region. The region, named after the indigenous S … |
Bass Lake, CA (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
45,410 ac-ft | (Also known as Crane Valley Reservoir) Snuggled into the heart of the Sierra National Forest and located at the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park, Bass Lake enjoys an ideal Califo … |
Barrett Lake, CA (California, San Diego County, CA, US West Region, USA) |
45,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Barrett, Barrett Reservoir) Tucked away in a solitary fishing hole, a fisherman casts and pulls in a trophy-sized Northern-strain large mouth bass. The opportunity to catch troph … |
Lake Elsinore, CA (California, Inland Empire Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
30,000 ac-ft | Cradled at the foot of the Ortega Mountains and at the entrance to the Cleveland National Forest, Lake Elsinore enjoys an ideal location. At about 3,3 … |
Pinecrest Lake, CA (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
18,312 ac-ft | (Also known as Pinecrest Reservoir, Strawberry Reservoir, Strawberry Flat, Edna Lake, Lake Edna) Surrounded by the stately pines of Stanislaus National Forest and rocky terrain of California’s High Sierras, Pinecrest Lake attracts well over 600,00 … |
Lewiston Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
14,660 ac-ft | A great blue heron intent on catching fish for his breakfast stands undisturbed as a canoe glides by, holding an angler with the same idea. With nothi … |
Lake Hemet (California, Inland Empire Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
14,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Hemet Reservoir) Not far from the famed San Jacinto Peak in California’s Inland Empire, Lake Hemet Reservoir offers plenty of nature-focused recreation to lucky visito … |
Pine Mountain Lake, CA (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
7,400 ac-ft | Pine Mountain Lake is a private lake and community in Tuolomne County California. With amenities that include a golf course, restaurant and stables op … |
Lake Alpine (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
4,600 ac-ft | A lovely gem set among California’s High Sierra mountains, Lake Alpine beckons the outdoor fan looking for solitude. The lake is a reservoir created w … |
Littlerock Reservoir (California, Los Angeles County, CA, US West Region, USA) |
4,200 ac-ft | (Also known as Littlerock Lake, Little Rock Reservoir, Little Rock Lake) Littlerock Reservoir is a man-made water storage system located in Los Angeles County, California, southeast of Palmdale and about three miles southwe … |