This article lists the largest lakes, natural and man-made, in the United States by volume—the amount of water they contain under normal conditions. Volumes given for lakes shared with Canada and Mexico are for the total volume of the lake. Many lakes vary substantially in volume over time, especially man-made lakes, reservoirs, and lakes in arid areas. Capacity given is for normal or average lake level.
| Name | Location | Volume | Maximum Depth | notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Superior | Michigan - Minnesota - Ontario - Wisconsin | 9,799,680,000 acre⋅ft (12,088 km3) | 1,332 ft (406 m) | Third-largest fresh-water lake in the world by volume |
| 2 | Lake Michigan | Illinois - Indiana - Michigan - Wisconsin | 3,987,455,942 acre⋅ft (4,918 km3) | 925 ft (282 m) | L. Huron and. L. Michigan may be considered a single lake[1] |
| 3 | Lake Huron | Michigan - Ontario | 2,872,320,000 acre⋅ft (3,543 km3) | 750 ft (229 m) | |
| 4 | Lake Ontario | New York - Ontario | 1,328,025,000 acre⋅ft (1,638 km3) | 802 ft (244 m) | |
| 5 | Lake Erie | Michigan - New York - Ohio - Ontario - Pennsylvania | 392,000,000 acre⋅ft (484 km3) | 210 ft (64 m) | |
| 6 | Lake Tahoe | California - Nevada | 122,160,280 acre⋅ft (150.7 km3) | 1,645 ft (501 m) | |
| 7 | Iliamna Lake | Alaska | 94,111,488 acre⋅ft (116.1 km3) | 988 ft (301 m) | |
| 8 | Lake Pend Oreille | Idaho | 43,939,940 acre⋅ft (54.2 km3) | 1,152 ft (351 m) | |
| 9 | Becharof Lake | Alaska | 35,671,173 acre⋅ft (44.0 km3) | 302 ft (92 m) | |
| 10 | Lake Clark | Alaska | 25,682,000 acre⋅ft (31.7 km3) | 1,056 ft (322 m) | |
| 11 | Lake Sakakawea | North Dakota | 24,200,000 acre⋅ft (29.9 km3) | 180 ft (55 m) | man-made |
| 12 | Pyramid Lake | Nevada | 23,660,000 acre⋅ft (29.2 km3) | 344 ft (105 m) | |
| 13 | Lake Oahe | North Dakota - South Dakota | 23,625,315 acre⋅ft (29.1 km3) | 205 ft (62 m) | man-made |
| 14 | Lake Champlain | Vermont - New York - Quebec | 20,916,400 acre⋅ft (25.8 km3) | 400 ft (122 m) | |
| 15 | Lake Mead | Arizona - Nevada | 19,200,000 acre⋅ft (23.7 km3) [2] | 532 ft (162 m) | man-made |
| 16 | Flathead Lake | Montana | 18,788,243 acre⋅ft (23.2 km3) | 371 ft (113 m) | Remnant of Glacial Lake Missoula |
| 17 | Fort Peck Lake | Montana | 18,700,000 acre⋅ft (23.1 km3) | 220 ft (67 m) | man-made |
| 18 | Lake Chelan | Washington | 15,800,000 acre⋅ft (19.5 km3) | 1,486 ft (453 m) | |
| 19 | Lake of the Woods | Ontario - Minnesota - Manitoba | 15,700,000 acre⋅ft (19.4 km3) | 210 ft (64 m) | |
| 20 | Lake Powell | Utah - Arizona | 15,500,000 acre⋅ft (19.1 km3) [3] | 583 ft (178 m) | man-made |
| 21 | Great Salt Lake | Utah | 15,000,000 acre⋅ft (19 km3) [4] | 33 ft (10 m) | salt, variable in area. |
| 22 | Crater Lake | Oregon | 14,100,000 acre⋅ft (17.4 km3) | 1,949 ft (594 m) | deepest lake in the United States |
| 23 | Seneca Lake | New York | 12,566,054 acre⋅ft (15.5 km3) | 618 ft (188 m) | largest of the Finger Lakes |
| 24 | Yellowstone Lake | Wyoming | 12,095,264 acre⋅ft (14.9 km3) | 390 ft (119 m) | highest in elevation of large lakes |
| 25 | Lake Franklin D. Roosevelt | Washington | 9,402,000 acre⋅ft (11.6 km3) | 349 ft (106 m) | man-made. Created in 1941 by the impoundment of the Columbia River by the Grand Coulee Dam |
| 26 | Cayuga Lake | New York | 7,672,000 acre⋅ft (9.5 km3) | 435 ft (133 m) | second largest of the Finger Lakes |
| 27 | Rainy Lake | Ontario - Minnesota | 7,072,000 acre⋅ft (8.7 km3) | 161 ft (49 m) | https://web.archive.org/web/20130807131429/http://source/: www.woodsport.com/rainy_lake/rl_facts.html, accessed 9 Mar 2011 |
| 28 | Bear Lake | Idaho - Utah | 6,557,440 acre⋅ft (8.1 km3) | 208 ft (63 m) | |
| 29 | Salton Sea | California | 6,000,000 acre⋅ft (7.4 km3) | 43 ft (13 m) | salt, variable in area. Present volume man-made [5] |
| 30 | Skilak Lake | Alaska | 5,930,640 acre⋅ft (7.3 km3) | 528 ft (161 m) | |
| 31 | Tustumena Lake | Alaska | 5,801,523 acre⋅ft (7.2 km3) | 950 ft (290 m) | |
| 32 | Lake Pontchartrain | Louisiana | 4,838,400 acre⋅ft (6.0 km3) | 65 ft (20 m) | salt, often considered an estuary rather than a lake |
| 33 | Lake Shasta | California | 4,552,000 acre⋅ft (5.6 km3) | 517 ft (158 m) | man-made |
| 34 | Toledo Bend Reservoir | Louisiana - Texas | 4,477,000 acre⋅ft (5.5 km3) | 110 ft (34 m) | man-made |
| 35 | Moosehead Lake | Maine | 4,210,000 acre⋅ft (5.2 km3) | 246 ft (75 m) | |
| 36 | Lake Okeechobee | Florida | 4,210,000 acre⋅ft (5.2 km3) | 12 ft (4 m) | |
| 37 | Kenai Lake | Alaska | 4,130,087 acre⋅ft (5.1 km3) | 541 ft (165 m) | |
| 38 | Kentucky Lake | Kentucky - Tennessee | 4,008,000 acre⋅ft (4.9 km3) | 60 ft (18 m) | man-made |
| 39 | Sam Rayburn Reservoir | Texas | 3,997,000 acre⋅ft (4.9 km3) | 80 ft (24 m) | man-made |
| 40 | Flaming Gorge Reservoir | Utah - Wyoming | 3,788,900 acre⋅ft (4.7 km3) | 436 ft (133 m) | man-made |
| 41 | Devils Lake | North Dakota | 3,573,502 acre⋅ft (4.4 km3) | 75 ft (23 m) | natural, endorheic. This volume was taken from the summer 2011 record peak of 1,454.4 ft (443.3 m) MSL. Devils Lake has experienced severe flooding and has risen more than 31 ft (9.4 m) since 1993. Volume has increased by 6 times.[6][7][8] |
| 42 | Lake Oroville | California | 3,537,577 acre⋅ft (4.4 km3) | 695 ft (212 m) | man-made |
| 43 | Dworshak Reservoir | Idaho | 3,468,000 acre*ft | 632 ft |
man-made |
| 44 | Hungry Horse Reservoir | Montana | 3,467,179 acre⋅ft (4.3 km3) | man-made | |
| 45 | Bull Shoals Lake | Arkansas - Missouri | 3,400,000 acre⋅ft (4.2 km3) | 204 ft (62 m) | man-made |
| 46 | Kerr Lake | Virginia - North Carolina | 3,364,500 acre⋅ft (4.2 km3) | 100 ft (30 m) | man-made |
| 47 | Lake Amistad | Mexico - Texas | 3,159,270 acre⋅ft (3.9 km3) | 200 ft (61 m) | man-made |
| 48 | Lake Francis Case | South Dakota | 3,124,000 acre⋅ft (3.9 km3) | 140 ft (43 m) | man-made |
| 49 | Mille Lacs Lake | Minnesota | 2,782,736 acre⋅ft (3.4 km3) | 42 ft (13 m) | |
| 50 | Lake Saint Clair | Michigan - Ontario | 2,770,944 acre⋅ft (3.4 km3) | 27 ft (8 m) | |
| 51 | Lake Ouachita | Arkansas | 2,768,000 acre⋅ft (3.4 km3) | 200 ft (61 m) | man-made |
| 52 | Table Rock Lake | Missouri - Arkansas | 2,702,000 acre⋅ft (3.3 km3) | 220 ft (67 m) | man-made |
| 53 | Torch Lake | Michigan | 2,635,927 acre⋅ft (3.3 km3) | 302 ft (92 m) | |
| 54 | Lake Texoma | Oklahoma - Texas | 2,566,946 acre⋅ft (3.2 km3) | 100 ft (30 m) | man-made |
| 55 | Lake Hartwell | Georgia - South Carolina | 2,550,000 acre⋅ft (3.1 km3) | 185 ft (56 m) | man-made |
| 56 | Trinity Lake | California | 2,447,650 acre⋅ft (3.0 km3) | 390 ft (119 m) | man-made |
| 57 | New Melones Lake | California | 2,420,000 acre⋅ft (3.0 km3) | 565 ft (172 m) | man-made |
| 58 | Mono Lake | California | 2,407,820 acre⋅ft (3.0 km3) | 159 ft (48 m) | |
| 59 | Lake George | New York | 2,380,000 acre⋅ft (2.9 km3) | 200 ft (61 m) | |
| 60 | Falcon Lake | Mexico - Texas | 2,371,220 acre⋅ft (2.9 km3) | 110 ft (34 m) | man-made |
| 61 | Lake Washington | Washington | 2,350,000 acre⋅ft (2.9 km3) | 214 ft (65 m) | |
| 62 | Leech Lake | Minnesota | 2,300,000 acre⋅ft (2.8 km3) | 156 ft (48 m) | |
| 63 | Eufaula Lake | Oklahoma | 2,300,000 acre⋅ft (2.8 km3) | 87 ft (27 m) | man-made |
| 64 | Lake Saint Francis | Ontario - Quebec - New York | 2,269,997 acre⋅ft (2.8 km3) | 27 ft (8 m) | man-made, part of St. Lawrence Seaway |
| 65 | Coeur d'Alene Lake | Idaho | 2,269,996 acre⋅ft (2.8 km3) | 220 ft (67 m) | |
| 66 | Walker Lake | Nevada | 2,200,000 acre⋅ft (2.7 km3) | 80 ft (24 m) | |
| 67 | Lake Cumberland | Kentucky | 2,142,000 acre⋅ft (2.6 km3) | 200 ft (61 m) | man-made |
| 68 | Lake Winnebago | Wisconsin | 2,135,000 acre⋅ft (2.6 km3) | 21 ft (6 m) | |
| 69 | Upper Red Lake | Minnesota | 2,129,000 acre⋅ft (2.6 km3) | 19 ft (6 m) | sometimes considered a single lake with Lower Red Lake (Minnesota) |
| 70 | Elephant Butte Lake | New Mexico | 2,065,010 acre⋅ft (2.5 km3) | 157 ft (48 m) | man-made |
| 71 | San Luis Reservoir | California | 2,041,000 acre⋅ft (2.5 km3) | 270 ft (82 m) | man-made |
| 72 | Don Pedro Reservoir | California | 2,030,000 acre⋅ft (2.5 km3) | 400 ft (122 m) | man-made |
| 73 | Lake of the Ozarks | Missouri | 2,000,000 acre⋅ft (2.5 km3) | 130 ft (40 m) | man-made |
| 74 | Lake Lanier | Georgia | 1,957,000 acre⋅ft (2.41 km3) | 160 ft (49 m) | man-made |
| 75 | Ray Roberts Lake | Texas | 1,930,000 acre⋅ft (2.38 km3) | 106 ft (32 m) | man-made |
| 76 | Greers Ferry Lake | Arkansas | 1,910,000 acre⋅ft (2.36 km3) | 160 ft (49 m) | man-made |
| 77 | Norfork Lake | Arkansas - Missouri | 1,900,000 acre⋅ft (2.34 km3) | 177 ft (54 m) | man-made |
| 78 | Canyon Ferry Lake | Montana | 1,891,888 acre⋅ft (2.33 km3) | 160 ft (49 m) | man-made |
| 79 | Lake Mohave | Arizona - Nevada | 1,818,330 acre⋅ft (2.24 km3) | 120 ft (37 m) | man-made |
| 80 | Lake McConaughy | Nebraska | 1,756,300 acre⋅ft (2.17 km3) | 135 ft (41 m) | man-made |
| 81 | Lake Livingston | Texas | 1,750,000 acre⋅ft (2.16 km3) | 90 ft (27 m) | man-made |
| 82 | Clarks Hill Lake | Georgia - South Carolina | 1,730,000 acre⋅ft (2.13 km3) | 180 ft (55 m) | man-made |
| 83 | Grand Lake o' the Cherokees | Oklahoma | 1,672,000 acre⋅ft (2.06 km3) | 164 ft (50 m) | man-made |
| 84 | American Falls Reservoir | Idaho | 1,671,300 acre⋅ft (2.06 km3) | 53 ft (16 m) | man-made |
| 85 | Lake Roosevelt | Arizona | 1,653,043 acre⋅ft (2.04 km3) | 349 ft (106 m) | man-made |
| 86 | Lake Martin | Alabama | 1,626,000 acre⋅ft (2.01 km3) | 150 ft (46 m) | man-made |
| 87 | Lake Sharpe | South Dakota | 1,621,000 acre⋅ft (2.00 km3) | 95 ft (29 m) | man-made |
| 88 | Lake Berryessa | California | 1,602,000 acre⋅ft (1.98 km3) | 275 ft (84 m) | man-made |
| 89 | Sardis Lake | Mississippi | 1,512,000 acre⋅ft (1.87 km3) | 76 ft (23 m) | man-made |
Note: Volume estimates not available for Selawik and Naknek Lakes in Alaska. They would undoubtedly rank on this list if data available. Information other than otherwise noted from http://www.lakelubbers.com/, accessed 9 Mar 2011
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Michigan and Huron: One Lake or Two?" Infoplease, http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001804.html, accessed 8 Nov 2015
- ^ Average since 1940
- ^ Average since 1963
- ^ Volume at the average surface elevation of 4,200 feet, from the Utah Water Science Center Great Salt Lake site
- ^ "Salton Sea, History". CA Dept. of Water Resources. Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ "Devils Lake Elevation-Volume Table" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-19. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ "USGS Devils Lake Flood History". Archived from the original on 2009-02-08. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (NWS AHPS) for Devils Lake at Creel Bay