Largest lakes & reservoirs in 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 2151 articles we have published for lakes.
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Below are lakes within Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in , only the 2151 lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Water vol. in ac-ft |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Mohave, AZ/NV (Arizona, Las Vegas Territory, NV, Nevada, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
1,818,330 ac-ft | Lake Mohave is a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River that spans 28,260 acres. It is a part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and was cre … |
| Suchitlan Lake (El Salvador) |
1,767,355 ac-ft | (Also known as Cerron Grande, Embalse Cerron Grande) The largest lake in El Salvador, Suchitlan Lake is one of the main attractions visitors want to see. Located about an hour north of San Salvador, the … |
| Lake McConaughy, NE (Nebraska, Prairie Lakes Region, NE, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,756,300 ac-ft | (Also known as Big Mac) Lake McConaughy, commonly called Big Mac, is Nebraska’s largest reservoir with 30,500 acres and 76 shoreline miles. Lake McConaughy is conveniently lo … |
| Lake Livingston, TX (Piney Woods Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,750,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Livingston Reservoir) Sometimes referred to as a “water wonderland,” Lake Livingston is the second largest lake contained entirely within Texas. With over 450 miles of shor … |
| J. Strom Thurmond Lake, GA/SC (Classic South Region, GA, Georgia, Old 96 District, SC, South Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
1,730,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Strom Thurmond, J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir, Clarks Hill Lake, Thurmond Lake) J. Strom Thurmond Lake, aka Clarks Hill Lake, holds the title of second largest artificial lake east of the Mississippi River. Straddling the Georgia- … |
| Riffe Lake (Seattle & Puget Sound Region, WA, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
1,686,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Riffe Reservoir, Mossyrock Lake, Davisson Lake) Riffe Lake by any other name would still be a fantastic recreational spot. The name confusion for this man-made reservoir in the Seattle and Puget Sou … |
| Grand Lake O’the Cherokees, OK (Green Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,672,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Grand Lake Over the Cherokees) Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees stands out as a sapphire jewel tucked into the northeastern Oklahoma landscape. Created in 1940, the reservoir stretches f … |
| American Falls Reservoir, ID (Idaho, Southeastern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
1,671,300 ac-ft | With more than 56,000 acres of water sport, boating and fishing waters, surrounded by choice camping and picnic areas, American Falls Reservoir in sou … |
| Lake Chiemsee (Bavaria Region, Germany, Germany) |
1,660,341 ac-ft | Lake Chiemsee is the crown jewel of Bavaria’s tourist region. Located about half-way between Munich and Salzburg, Austria, Lake Chiemsee has been a fa … |
| Roosevelt Lake, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,653,043 ac-ft | (Also known as Theodore Roosevelt Lake, Lake Roosevelt) With 21,500 acres at full pond and 128 miles of shoreline, Roosevelt Lake is the largest body of water contained entirely within Arizona; the larger L … |
| Lake Martin, AL (Alabama, Metropolitan Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
1,626,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Martin Lake) Lake Martin, located in Central Alabama near Alexander City, stretches out over 44,000 acres with an incredible 750 miles of shoreline. Nestled within … |
| Lake Tota (Colombia) |
1,621,426 ac-ft | (Also known as Tota Lake, Lago de Tota, Laguna de Tota) Spanning almost 15,000 acres, Lake Tota is the largest lake in Colombia. Located in the Andes Highlands, Lake Tota lies at nearly 10,000 feet elevatio … |