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 Omaha, AR (Arkansas, Ozarks Region, AR, US South Region, USA) |
2,780 ac-ft | (Also known as Omaha Lake) Anyone looking for a lake-focused destination in the middle of the United States would be wise to take more than a passing glance at Lake Omaha. This … |
| Harris Lake and Lake Nicol (Alabama, Metropolitan Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
2,742 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Harris) When the City of Tuscaloosa created Harris Lake and Lake Nicol for water supply, little did city officials realize that these two reservoirs would bec … |
| Laurel Lake (Monadnock Region, NH, New Hampshire, US New England Region, USA) |
2,700 ac-ft | Laurel Lake, with its 180 acres of clear, sparkling waters and densely-wooded shoreline in Cheshire County, New Hampshire is a perfect spot for a peac … |
| Lyman Lake WI (Lake Superior Northwoods Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
2,687 ac-ft | Nestled in the Northwoods region of Douglas County, Wisconsin, 403-acre Lyman Lake offers visitors and residents a picture perfect vacation spot for f … |
| Webster Lake NH (Lakes Region, NH, New Hampshire, US New England Region, USA) |
2,650 ac-ft | Webster Lake, a 606-acre lake set in central New Hampshire, tucks itself away from the hubbub of life’s daily stresses in a shoreline that is surround … |
| Lake Placid, TX (Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
2,624 ac-ft | Lake Placid is a small reservoir on the Guadalupe River one mile southwest of Sequin, Texas in the Prairies and Lakes Region. Operated by the Guadalup … |
| West Hill Lake (Connecticut, Litchfield Hills Region, CT, US New England Region, USA) |
2,525 ac-ft | (Also known as West Hill Pond) West Hill Lake, in Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills Region, is the quintessential New England lake. Perhaps more commonly called West Hill Pond, West Hi … |
| Otter Lake WI (Lake Superior Northwoods Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
2,525 ac-ft | (Also known as Eagle River Chain of Lakes) Otter Lake is one of more than 1,300 lakes, 73 rivers and streams, and a half million acres of forest found within northeastern Wisconsin’s Vilas Coun … |
| Carter Lake IA (Iowa, Metro Region, NE, Nebraska, Southwest Iowa, US Midwest Region, USA) |
2,520 ac-ft | In the late 1800’s the Missouri River changed its course, altering the future of the area around Omaha, Nebraska and creating Carter Lake. Spanning pa … |
| Boulder Lake (Lake Superior Northwoods Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
2,516 ac-ft | Boulder Lake, in Wisconsin’s Lake Superior Northwoods Region, is everything nature lovers could want. Only an hour-and-a-half from either Green Bay or … |
| Gaston Shoals Lake and Ninety-Nine Islands Lake (Olde English District, SC, South Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
2,500 ac-ft | (Also known as Gaston Shoals Reservior and Ninety-Nine Islands Reservoir) Gaston Shoals Lake and Ninety-Nine Islands Lake are the focal points of a 15-mile stretch of the Broad River flowing through the Olde English District … |
| Lake Delton, WI (Southern Savanna Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
2,500 ac-ft | Lake Delton, whose name is derived from the French word Dalles meaning gorge, is one of the Midwest’s most popular vacation areas. Along with the near … |