Largest lakes & reservoirs in Illinois by water volume
This is a comparison for lakes within USA > Midwest > Illinois > - Compared by Largest Lakes - Water Volume in acre-foot.For some lakes, "Largest Lakes - Water Volume" is unknown or does not apply, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 64 articles we have published for Illinois lakes.
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.
Search results: Sort lakes by water volume
Lake name  |
Water vol. in ac-ft |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Michigan-Huron (Canada, Chicagoland, Great Lakes, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Michigan Region, Michigan, Midwest, North, Northeast, Northwest, Ontario, Southwest, USA, Upper Peninsula, West Central, Wisconsin) |
6,858,776,000 ac-ft | Lake Michigan and Lake Huron – two of North America’s Great Lakes – are contiguous and they share the same elevation of 577 feet above sea level. They… |
| Lake Michigan (Chicagoland, Great Lakes, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Michigan Region, Michigan, Midwest, North, Northwest, Southwest, USA, Upper Peninsula, West Central, Wisconsin) |
3,987,456,000 ac-ft | As the only Great Lake nestled completely within the boundaries of the United States, Lake Michigan is the pride and joy of Wisconsin, Illinois, India… |
| Lake Shelbyville (Central, Illinois, Midwest, USA) |
210,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Shelbyville Lake, Shelbyville Reservoir) Seventeen miles and thousands of acres of water stretch out in front of power boaters leaving the dam at Lake Shelbyville. In addition to its wide exp… |
| Rend Lake (Illinois, Midwest, Southern, USA) |
184,675 ac-ft | Rend Lake, located in southern Illinois, is a fantastic place to enjoy all sorts of outdoor recreational activities. This reservoir, the second larges… |
| Kinkaid Lake (Illinois, Midwest, Southern, USA) |
78,500 ac-ft | Kinkaid Lake is a scenic 2,350-acre reservoir surrounded by sandstone bluffs and rolling hills of oaks and hickories on the edge of the Shawnee Nation… |
| Crab Orchard Lake (Illinois, Midwest, Southern, USA) |
57,800 ac-ft | Crab Orchard Lake is the largest of three reservoirs that are part of the 43,899-acre Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Williamson… |
| Little Grassy Lake (Illinois, Midwest, Southern, USA) |
27,000 ac-ft | Surrounded by watchful forest trees and open grasslands, the Little Grassy Lake is a quiet body of water sitting in the middle of a Southern Illinois… |
| Cedar Lake IL (Illinois, Midwest, Southern, USA) |
25,000 ac-ft | Cedar Lake is located at the edge of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. This 1,750-acre reservoir was created by the City of Carbondale… |
| Devils Kitchen Lake (Illinois, Midwest, Southern, USA) |
24,500 ac-ft | (Also known as Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge) Devils Kitchen Lake is one of three lakes (the other two are Crab Orchard Lake and Little Grassy Lake) that are part of the Crab Orchard National Wild… |
| Evergreen Lake (Central, Illinois, Midwest, USA) |
15,480 ac-ft | (Also known as Evergreen Reservoir) One of Central Illinois’ best-kept secret lies just north of Bloomington: Evergreen Lake. When the growing city needed additional water supply in 1971… |
| Pistakee Lake (Chicagoland, Illinois, Midwest, USA) |
13,081 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Pistakee, Fox Chain O'Lakes) Pistakee Lake is a well-known destination to generations of Chicago area Lakelubbers. Located on the famous Fox River Chain of Lakes in the Chicagolan… |
| East Fork Lake (Illinois, Midwest, Southern, USA) |
12,460 ac-ft | (Also known as East Fork Reservoir) East Fork Lake, in the Southern Region of Illinois, is a well-kept secret in a land of many secrets. The southern third of Illinois has been known as… |
