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 |
|---|---|---|
| Twin Lakes, CO (Colorado, South Central Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
107,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Twin Lakes Reservoir) In the mid 1800’s gold was discovered in Lake County Colorado, and everything changed. Settlers moved west seeking their fortunes and discovered not o … |
| Deep Creek Lake, MD (Maryland, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA, Western Maryland) |
106,000 ac-ft | Deep Creek Lake is the largest inland body of water in Maryland, covering about 3,900 acres in the Allegheny Mountains of western Maryland. Since its … |
| 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 … |
| Lake Whitingham (Southern Vermont, US New England Region, USA, Vermont) |
103,375 ac-ft | (Also known as Harriman Reservoir) Lake Whitingham is located near Vermont Route 100, which was highly praised by National Geographic as one of ten most scenic highways in America. Nest … |
| Lake Burton, GA (Georgia, Northeast Georgia Mountains Region, US South Region, USA) |
103,000 ac-ft | Lake Burton is the first and largest reservoir in a series of lakes managed by Georgia Power Company, called the North Georgia Hydro Group. Its 2,775 … |
| Canton Lake, OK (Oklahoma, Red Carpet Country, OK, US Southwest Region, USA) |
102,751 ac-ft | Canton Lake is an expansive body of water in northwestern Oklahoma’s Red Carpet Country (named for its red soil). The United States Army Corps of Engi … |
| Smithville Lake, MO (Missouri, Northwest Missouri, US Midwest Region, USA) |
102,200 ac-ft | Smithville Lake, located in the City of Smithville in northwest Missouri, is a recreational wonderland. With nearly 7,200 surface acres of water, Smit … |
| Donner Lake (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
102,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Truckee Lake) Steeped in the history of America’s Emigrant Trail, Donner Lake sits in California’s beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains. Found within Nevada County’s c … |
| Bucks Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
101,926 ac-ft | A peregrine falcon, perched in the top of a silvery, windswept pine, watches a sailboat tack back and forth across the clear cool water of Bucks Lake. … |
| Muskegon Lake (Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA, West Central Michigan) |
101,635 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Muskegon) One of Michigan’s little-known vacation hotspots is Muskegon Lake. Lake Muskegon, as it is sometimes called, has been a major port on the eastern Lake … |
| Whitefish Chain of Lakes (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
101,340 ac-ft | (Also known as Pine River Reservoir) Whitefish Chain of Lakes, also known as the Pine River Reservoir, is one of six Mississippi River Headwater Reservoirs in central Minnesota. Located i … |
| Fern Ridge Lake, OR (Oregon, US West Region, USA, Willamette Valley Region, OR) |
101,100 ac-ft | (Also known as Fern Ridge Reservoir) Fern Ridge Lake is the largest of thirteen flood control reservoirs in Oregon’s Williamette Valley. With 9000 acres of water, Fern Ridge Lake is a pre … |