Largest lakes & reservoirs in US South Region 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 343 articles we have published for US South Region lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in US South Region, only the 343 US South Region lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Water vol. in ac-ft |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lay Lake, AL (Alabama, Metropolitan Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
262,774 ac-ft | Lay Lake is an impressive 12,000-acre reservoir stretching for 48 miles through the counties of Talladega, Shelby, Coosa, and Chilton in east-central … |
| Philpott Lake, VA (Blue Ridge Highlands, VA, Southern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
250,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Philpott Reservoir) Snuggled into the Blue Ridge Mountains, the 2,880-acre Philpott Lake resides in southwestern Virginia’s Franklin, Henry, and Patrick Counties. The irr … |
| Lake Jordan, AL (Alabama, Metropolitan Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
236,200 ac-ft | (Also known as Jordan Lake, Jordan Reservoir) Fun is the name of the game at central Alabama’s Lake Jordan. Offering 6,800 acres of water and 188 miles of shoreline, Lake Jordan has become home to … |
| High Rock Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
234,866 ac-ft | The northernmost of the Uwharrie Lakes, High Rock Lake enjoys its spot as North Carolina’s second largest reservoir entirely within the state: its wat … |
| Claytor Lake, VA (Blue Ridge Highlands, VA, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
232,000 ac-ft | Claytor Lake is a 4,475 acre impoundment of the New River in southwestern Virginia’s Blue Ridge Highlands region. Stretching out over 21 miles in Pula … |
| Nickajack Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
220,100 ac-ft | (Also known as Nickajack Reservoir) Set against the spectacular scenery and steep walls of the Tennessee River Gorge, Nickajack Lake is the perfect place to relax on the water, fish, or … |
| Jordan Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
215,130 ac-ft | (Also known as B. Everett Jordan Reservoir, New Hope Lake) Jordan Lake, initially called New Hope Lake, is a 13,940-acre reservoir in central North Carolina’s Piedmont region, part of the Upper Cape Fear River … |
| Lake Hiwassee, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
205,590 ac-ft | (Also known as Hiwassee Reservoir or Hiwassee Lake) Lake Hiwassee is located in the mountainous region of North Carolina’s southwestern Cherokee County. Sitting in the Nantahala National Forest, it is a … |
| J. Percy Priest Lake, TN (Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
202,000 ac-ft | (Also known as J. Percy Priest Reservoir) One of the most popular recreation sites in the Middle Tennessee region of J Percy Priest lake. Less than 15 minutes from downtown Nashville, the rese … |
| Warrior Lake, AL (Alabama, Metropolitan Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
197,340 ac-ft | (Also known as Warrior Reservoir) Warrior Lake is part of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Lake system located in the diverse Metropolitan Tourism Region of Alabama. Six miles southeast of … |
| Summersville Lake, WV (Mountain Lakes Region, WV, US South Region, USA, West Virginia) |
191,540 ac-ft | (Also known as Summersville Reservoir) Scenic Summersville Lake is the largest lake in West Virginia. The reservoir was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control on the Ga … |
| Barren River Lake, KY (Caves, Lakes & Corvettes Region, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
190,320 ac-ft | Barren River Lake, located in south-central Kentucky, is one of the state’s hidden jewels, covering over 10,100 acres. The lake was created by the Lou … |