Largest lakes & reservoirs in US Southwest Region 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 149 articles we have published for US Southwest Region lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Southwest Region > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in US Southwest Region, only the 149 US Southwest Region lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Water vol. in ac-ft | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Tenkiller Lake, OK (Green Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
677,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Tenkiller, Tenkiller Ferry Lake) Tenkiller Lake is an amazing place filled with fascinating history and natural beauty in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. There’s tons of fun to … |
Lake Fork, TX (Piney Woods Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
675,819 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Fork Reservoir) Lake Fork (also called Lake Fork Reservoir) covers an impressive 27,264 acres in northeast Texas, on the border of the Piney Woods and Prairies and La … |
Lake Havasu, AZ/CA (Arizona, California, Desert Region, CA, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
648,000 ac-ft | Lake Havasu’s 20,400 acres, formed behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River, is a boating paradise. Around Lake Havasu City, the most recognizable sigh … |
Cedar Creek Lake, TX (Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
644,785 ac-ft | (Also known as Cedar Creek Reservoir) Cedar Creek Lake (also known as Cedar Creek Reservoir) is located an hour southeast of Dallas in the Prairie and Lakes region of Texas. Created in 196 … |
Lake Lewisville, TX (Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
640,986 ac-ft | (Also known as Lewisville Lake) Lake Lewisville, a favorite spot in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for water sport enthusiasts, offers visitors a variety of recreational pursuits includi … |
Cochiti Lake, NM (New Mexico, North-Central, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
582,019 ac-ft | Stretching 7 miles long on the Rio Grande River, Cochiti Lake is located in Sandoval County, New Mexico, about 20 miles west of Santa Fe and 60 miles … |
O. H. Ivie Lake (Hill Country Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
554,340 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Ivie, Stacy Reservoir) On a hot summer day in the northern Hill Country region of Texas, Lake Ivie is an ideal place to be. Officially named O.H.Ivie Reservoir, the waters a … |
Oologah Lake, OK (Green Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
552,219 ac-ft | (Also known as Oolagah Reservoir) Located in the northeast corner of Oklahoma, in the Green Country region, Oolagah Lake hides a wealth of surprises for the visitor. Located just a hal … |
Possum Kingdom Lake (Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
540,340 ac-ft | (Also known as Possum Kingdom Reservoir) One of the most amusing names in lake recreation has to be Possum Kingdom Lake in the Prairies and Lakes region of Texas. Often called simply PK, the … |
Robert S. Kerr Reservoir, OK (Green Country, OK, Kiamichi Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
525,688 ac-ft | (Also known as Kerr Lake) The Robert S Kerr Reservoir, located in east-central Oklahoma, is one of the most popular recreation destinations spanning the state’s Green Country a … |
Keystone Lake, OK (Green Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
505,381 ac-ft | Keystone Lake is an impressive 26,000-acre recreational gem located in north-central Oklahoma, just 15 miles west of Tulsa. Natural beauty surrounds t … |
Lake Ray Hubbard, TX (Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
490,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Ray Hubbard Lake, previously known as Forney Reservoir) Everything is bigger in Texas, and Lake Ray Hubbard is no exception. Less than twenty minutes east of Dallas, the reservoir that serves “Big D” offers … |