Largest lakes & reservoirs in Minnesota 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 116 articles we have published for Minnesota lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Minnesota > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in Minnesota, only the 116 Minnesota lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Water vol. in ac-ft | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Norway Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
24,960 ac-ft | Norway Lake is nestled in Kandiyohi County on the southern border of Minnesota’s Central tourism region. It is part of the Wilmar Lakes Area which inc … |
Lake Calhoun, MN (Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Region, MN, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
14,593 ac-ft | (Also known as Minneapolis Chain of Lakes) Thousands of people come to Minneapolis’ Chain of Lakes every year. The five beautiful lakes (Lake Harriet, Cedar Lake, Brownie Lake, Lake of the Isle … |
Lake Harriet, MN (Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Region, MN, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
10,134 ac-ft | Part of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, Lake Harriet is located in the southwest part of Minneapolis. This 353-acre lake, which has a maximum depth of … |
Albert Lea Lake (Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
8,585 ac-ft | Hikers wake up to the sun filtering through the trees and the chirping of indigo buntings and eastern bluebirds at Albert Lea Lake in southern Minneso … |
Okamanpeedan Lake, IA/MN (Iowa, Minnesota, Northwest Iowa, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
8,270 ac-ft | (Also known as Tuttle Lake) Located in Martin County, Minnesota and Emmet County, Iowa, Okamanpeedan Lake is also known as Tuttle Lake. Okamanpeedan is Native American for “nesti … |
Smith Lake (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
7,928 ac-ft | Nestled quietly between Lake Osakis and the City of Alexandria, Smith Lake in Minnesota’s Central Region faces little tourist pressure. Not well known … |
Bass Lake MN (Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Region, MN, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
3,731 ac-ft | Sipping coffee on the deck overlooking 220-acre Bass Lake is a gift, a chance to let the stress melt away. As the mist rises off the water, the loons … |
Fountain Lake (Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
3,500 ac-ft | Fountain Lake is a sparkling 521-acre southern Minnesota lake, featuring three prominently-placed water fountains. Its shores surround the city of Alb … |
Long Lake MN (Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Region, MN, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
3,408 ac-ft | Settled along the outskirts of Minneapolis resides quiet Long Lake. This natural lake offers a suburban setting for those not wishing to stray too far … |
Lake Nokomis MN (Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Region, MN, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
3,060 ac-ft | Tucked away in the heart of Minneapolis, 204-acre Lake Nokomis is settled snugly between two conjoining rivers and a number of quiet neighborhoods. Lo … |
Lewis Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
2,899 ac-ft | Deep within eastern Minnesota’s wilderness sits an enticing body of water known as Lewis Lake. This body of water was naturally formed from the most r … |
Lake Bemidji, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
2,500 ac-ft | (Also known as Bemidji Lake) A cornucopia of soothing sound, rejuvenating sights and the invigorating scents of nature at work, Lake Bemidji is one of Minnesota’s natural gems. A … |