# List of reservoirs by volume

The classification of a reservoir by volume is not as straightforward as it may seem. As the name implies, water is held in reserve by a reservoir so it can serve a purpose. For example, in Thailand, reservoirs tend to store water from the wet season to prevent flooding, then release it during the dry season for farmers to grow rice. For this type of reservoir, almost the entire volume of the reservoir functions for the purpose it was built. Hydroelectric power generation, on the other hand, requires many dams to build up a large volume before operation can begin. For this type of reservoir only a small portion of the water held behind the dam is useful. Therefore, knowing the purpose for which a reservoir has been constructed, and knowing how much water can be used for that purpose, helps determine how much water is in possible reserve.

## Terminology

The following terms are used in connection with the volume of reservoirs:

### Capacity

    The total volume of all water held behind a dam at the maximum level possible.

### Design volume

    The possible volume within the reservoir after it first opens. Many rivers are high in silt that over time deposits behind a dam reducing capacity.

### Live volume

    The total capacity minus the dead pool volume. This is the volume that can serve some downstream purpose. For example, it is the volume available to make hydroelectric power or provide drinking water to a city.

### Minimum volume

    The amount of water left in a reservoir that cannot be used for the general purpose the reservoir was constructed. At this state, the reservoir is termed fully drawn down. For example, if built to supply water in the dry season, it is the water left behind when no more water can be extracted. Frequently, the effective minimum volume is greater if the water is needed for a purpose behind a dam.

### Available capacity

    May require knowing the reservoir's primary purpose. If it is designed to prevent flooding, it may be the volume of water that can be retained before reaching maximum or top water.

### Current

    When coupled with another term, reflects the fact the level behind the dam is not constant.

## Expanded versus artificial lakes

The list below largely ignores many natural lakes that have been augmented with the addition of a relatively minor dam. For example, a small dam, two hydroelectric plants, and locks on the outlet of Lake Superior make it possible to artificially control the lake level. Certainly, the great majority of the lake is natural. However, the control of water that can be held in reserve means a portion of the vast lake functions as a reservoir.
Recognition of lakes like Lake Superior greatly changes the list below. For example, the Francis H. Clergue Generating Station and Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant, which are both on the lake's outlet, operate with just 5.9 meters total head. This is short compared to other dams. However, when viewed against the 81,200 km2 area of the lake, even a small range in Lake Superior's water level means its active volume is greater than the largest nominal in the table below.

## List

| Rank | Reservoir | Dam | River | Country | Year | Nominal volume km$^3$ | Ref. |
| 1 | Lake Kariba | Kariba Dam | Zambezi River | Zambia and Zimbabwe | 1959 | 180.6 | , 160.3 |
| 2 | Bratsk Reservoir | Bratsk Dam | Angara River | Russia | 1964 | 169 | , 169.3 |
| 3 | Lake Volta | Akosombo Dam | Volta River | Ghana | 1965 | 150 | , 148 |
| 4 | Manicouagan Reservoir | Daniel-Johnson Dam | Manicouagan River | Canada | 1968 | 141.85 | , 141.7 |
| 5 | Guri Reservoir | Guri Dam | Caroní River | Venezuela | 1986 | 135 | |
| 6 | Lake Nasser | Aswan High Dam | Nile River | Egypt and Sudan | 1971 | 132 | |
| 7 | Millennium Reservoir | Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam | Blue Nile River | Ethiopia | under construction | 79 | |
| 8 | Williston Lake | W. A. C. Bennett Dam | Peace River | Canada | 1967 | 74.3 | |
| 9 | Krasnoyarsk Reservoir | Krasnoyarsk Dam | Yenisei River | Russia | 1967 | 73.3 | |
| 10 | Zeya Reservoir | Zeya Hydroelectric Station (ru) | Zeya River | Russia | 1978 | 68.4 | |
| 11 | Robert-Bourassa Reservoir | Robert-Bourassa generating station | La Grande River | Canada | 1981 | 61.71 | |
| 12 | La Grande-3 Nord Reservoir | La Grande-3 generating station | La Grande River | Canada | 1981 | 60.02 | |
| 13 | Ust-Ilimsk Reservoir | Ust-Ilimsk Dam | Angara River | Russia | 1977 | 59.3 | |
| 14 | Boguchany Reservoir | Boguchany Dam | Angara River | Russia | 2012 | 58.2 | |
| 15 | Kuybyshev Reservoir | Zhiguli Hydroelectric Station | Volga River | Russia | 1955 | 58 | |
| 16 | Cahora Bassa | Cahora Bassa Dam | Zambezi River | Mozambique | 1974 | 55.8 | |
| 17 | Serra da Mesa Reservoir | Serra da Mesa Dam | Tocantins River | Brazil | 1998 | 54.4 | |
| 18 | Caniapiscau Reservoir | Brisay generating station | Caniapiscau River | Canada | 1981 | 53.8 | |
| 19 | | Pati–Chapetón(proposal) | Paraná River | Argentina | ? | 53.7 | |
| 20 | Bukhtarma Reservoir | Bukhtarma Hydroelectric Power Plant | Irtysh River | Kazakhstan | 1967 | 53 | |
| 21 | Danjiangkou Reservoir | Danjiangkou Dam | Han River (Yangtze River tributary) | People's Republic of China | 1962 | 51.6 | |
| 22 | Atatürk Reservoir | Atatürk Dam | Euphrates | Turkey | 1992 | 48.7 | |
| 23 | Irkutsk Reservoir | Irkutsk Dam | Angara River | Russia | 1956 | 46 | |
| 24 | Lago Tucuruí | Tucuruí Dam | Tocantins River | Brazil | 1984 | 45.54 | |
| 25 | Los Barreales Lake? | Loma de la Lata Dam? (Cerros Colorados Complex) | Neuquén River | Argentina | 1973 | 43.5 | |
| 26 | Mari Menuco Lake? | Planicie Banderita hydroelectric power plant (Cerros Colorados Complex) | Neuquén River | Argentina | 1979 | 43 | |
| 27 | Three Gorges Reservoir | Three Gorges Dam | Yangtze River | People's Republic of China | 2009 | 39.3 | |
| 28 | Lake Mead | Hoover Dam | Colorado River | United States | 1936 | 37.3 | |
| 29 | | Winar Grue? | | Canada | 1952 | 37 | |
| 30 | Roseires Reservoir | Roseires Dam | Blue Nile | Sudan | 1966 | 36.3 | |
| 31 | Vilyuy Reservoir (ru) | Vilyuy Dam (ru) | Vilyuy River | Russia | 1967 | 35.9 | |
| 32 | Lake Powell | Glen Canyon Dam | Colorado River | United States | 1964 | 35.55 | |
| 33 | Lake Argyle | Lake Argyle Dam | Ord River | Australia | 1971 | 35 | |
| 34 | Nechako Reservoir | Kenney Dam | Nechako–Kemano | Canada | 1966 | 35 | |
| 35 | Sobradinho Reservoir | Sobradinho Dam | São Francisco River | Brazil | 1979 | 34.1 | |
| 36 | Smallwood Reservoir | Churchill Falls | Churchill River | Canada | 1971 | 32.64 | |
| 37 | | Jenpeg Dam | Lake Winnipeg outlet | Canada | 1975 | 31.79 | |
| 38 | Keban Dam Lake | Keban Dam | Euphrates | Turkey | 1971 | 31.5 | |
| 39 | Volgograd Reservoir | Volga Hydroelectric Station | Volga River | Russia | 1958 | 31.5 | |
| 40 | Sayano-Shushenskoye Reservoir (ru) | Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam | Yenisei River | Russia | 1990 | 31.3 | |
| 41 | Lake Sakakawea | Garrison Dam | Missouri River | United States | 1953 | 30.22 | |
| 42 | Lake Kossou | Kossou Dam | Bandama River | Ivory Coast | 1961 | 30 | |
| 43 | | Iroquois Dam | St. Lawrence River | Canada | 1958 | 29.96 | |
| 44 | Lake Oahe | Oahe Dam | Missouri River | United States | 1966 | 29.11 | |
| 45 | Lake Itaipu (pt) | Itaipu Dam | Paraná River | Brazil and Paraguay | 1983 | 29 | |
| 46 | Rybinsk Reservoir | Rybinsk Dam | Volga River | Russia | 1941-1947 | 25.4 | |
| 47 | Fort Peck Lake | Fort Peck Dam | Missouri River | United States | 1930 | 23.1 | |
| 47 | La-Grande 4 Reservoir | La Grande-4 generating station | La Grande River | Canada | 1984 | 19.5 | |
| 48 | Kakhovka Reservoir | Kakhovka Dam | Dnieper River | Ukraine | 1956 | 0 (Previously 18.2) | |
| 49 | Sanmenxia Reservoir | Sanmenxia Dam | Yellow River | People's Republic of China | 1962 | 16.2 | |
| 50 | Mingachevir reservoir | Mingachevir Dam | Kura River | Azerbaijan | 1953 | 15.73 | |
| 51 | Merowe Reservoir | Merowe Dam | Nile River | Sudan | 2009 | 12.50 | |