kids encyclopedia robot

List of largest lakes of the United States by volume facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

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
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) 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) 583 ft (178 m) man-made
21 Great Salt Lake Utah 15,000,000 acre⋅ft (19 km3) 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
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.
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

  • List of lakes of the United States by area
kids search engine
List of largest lakes of the United States by volume Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.