Largest lakes & reservoirs in Tennessee 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 33 articles we have published for Tennessee lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > Tennessee > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in Tennessee, only the 33 Tennessee lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Water vol. in ac-ft | Lake description |
---|---|---|
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 … |
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 … |
South Holston Lake, VA (Blue Ridge Highlands, VA, East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
189,100 ac-ft | (Also known as South Holston Reservoir) An impoundment of the South Fork Holston River, South Holston Lake is an exceptional place to fish and boat. Straddling the Virginia and Tennessee sta … |
Cheatham Lake, TN (Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
104,000 ac-ft | Middle Tennessee is blessed with a wealth of recreational opportunities created by Cheatham Lake. The lake itself is more properly called a wide spot … |
Reelfoot Lake, KY/TN (Kentucky, Tennessee, US South Region, USA, West Tennessee, Western Waterlands Region, KY) |
80,300 ac-ft | Reelfoot Lake makes its home in northwestern Tennessee and extends into southern Kentucky. The lake is young: popular history says that after the New … |
Woods Reservoir, TN (Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
77,915 ac-ft | Located on Arnold Air Force Base between Nashville and Chattanooga in Tullahoma, Tennessee, Woods Reservoir is a fantastic place to fish. Its unique s … |
Boone Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
75,829 ac-ft | (Also known as Boone Reservoir) Boone Lake is one of a series of reservoirs lying among the hills in northeast Tennessee. Completed on March 16, 1953, Boone Lake was constructed, and … |
Normandy Reservoir, TN (Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
65,600 ac-ft | (Also known as Normandy Lake, Lake Normandy) Situated in south central Tennessee near Manchester, Normandy Lake draws anglers, campers and boaters from all over. With its proximity to nearby Tims … |
Parksville Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
52,270 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Ocoee, Ocoee Lake) Parksville Lake, also known as Ocoee Reservoir, is one of three reservoirs in Polk County near Cleveland,TN. Together the reservoirs run through some … |
Carroll County Thousand Acre Recreation Lake (Tennessee, US South Region, USA, West Tennessee) |
17,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreation Lake) The Carroll County Thousand Acre Recreation Lake is the newest addition to water-based fun in West Tennessee. This brand-new lake opened for the first … |