Largest lakes & reservoirs in North Carolina 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 45 articles we have published for North Carolina lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > North Carolina > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in North Carolina, only the 45 North Carolina lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Water vol. in ac-ft | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Mayo Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
85,125 ac-ft | (Also known as Mayo Reservoir or Lake Mayo) Mayo Lake, set in a landscape of gently rolling hills and farmlands, was formed when Carolina Light and Power Company (now Progress Energy) needed coo … |
Hyco Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
75,000 ac-ft | Hyco Lake is a man-made reservoir located in northern North Carolina near the Virginia state line in the Roanoke River Basin. In the early 1960s, the … |
Lake Glenville, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
72,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Thorpe Reservoir, Glenville Lake) Nestled among the forests and mountain peaks of southwestern North Carolina lies the highest lake east of the Mississippi, Lake Glenville (aka Thorpe … |
Lake Rhodhiss, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
70,300 ac-ft | (Also known as Rhodhiss Lake) Lake Rhodhiss spans 3,060 acres in Burke and Caldwell Counties of west central North Carolina, lying between Lake James and Lake Hickory. A view of su … |
Lake Chatuge, GA/NC (Georgia, Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, Northeast Georgia Mountains Region, US South Region, USA) |
62,619 ac-ft | (Also known as Chatuge Lake, Chatuge Reservoir) Beautiful Lake Chatuge (pronounced “sha-toog”) spans 7200 acres and two states, stretching 13 miles from Hayesville, North Carolina, to Hiawassee, Geo … |
W. Kerr Scott Reservoir, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
41,000 ac-ft | (Also known as W. Kerr Scott Lake) W. Kerr Scott Reservoir is a 1,475-acre reservoir located near Wilkesboro, North Carolina in the Mountains tourism region. Built by the U.S. Army Corp … |
Lake Lure, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
32,295 ac-ft | Snuggled into the emerald mountains of western North Carolina, Lake Lure’s 720 acres sparkle in the sunlight. Clean water, beautiful scenery, and rura … |
Lookout Shoals Lake (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
24,995 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Lookout, Lookout Shoals Reservoir) Lookout Shoals Lake is a lakefront living gem in North Carolina’s Piedmont region. The 1,300-acre reservoir is known affectionately as Lake Lookout to … |
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 … |
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 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 … |
Cliffside Lake (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
55 ac-ft | Surrounded by the breathtaking Nantahala National Forest in the Highlands District of North Carolina, Cliffside Lake is sparkling eight-acre lake in t … |