Mi

Principal Lakes 

B of the United States

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

CIRCULAR 476
Principal Lakes of the United States

By Conrad D. Bue

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 476

Washington 1963
United States Department of the Interior

ROGERS C. B. MORION, Secretary

Geological Survey

V. E. McKelvey, Director

First printing 1963

Second printing 1964

Third printing 1965

Fourth printing 1967

Fifth printing 1970

Sixth printing 1973

Free on application to the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, D.C. 20244
CONTENTS

Page Page

Abstract.____________________________ 1 Depth oflakes_______________________ 11

Introduction__________________________ 1 Amount of water in lakes_____________ 11

Acknowledgments.____________________ 2 Saline lakes ________________________ 12

Origin of natural lakes ________________ 2 Artificial reservoirs ________________ 17

The Great Lakes _____________________ 5 Selected bibliography ______________ 21

Natural fresh-water lakes _____________ 6

ILLUSTRATIONS

Page 

Figure 1. Photograph of Crater Lake, Oregon._________________________________________ 3

2. Photograph of Wallowa Lake, Oregon ________________________________________ 4

3. Schematic section of Great Lakes ___________________________________________ 5

4. Sketch map of Utah, showing outline of Lake Bonneville and Great Salt Lake______ 13

5. Photograph of Lake Mead at marina in National Recreation Area_______________ 20

TABLES

Page 

Table 1. Statistical data on the Great Lakes________________________________________ 6

2. Natural fresh-water lakes of 10 square miles or more, excluding the Great Lakes,

arranged by States ________________________________________________________ 7

3. Natural fresh-water lakes of 100 square miles or more, excluding the Great Lakes,

ranked by size____________________________________________________________ 11

4. Natural fresh-water lakes 250 feet deep or more, ranked by depth_______________ 12

5. Principal saline lakes _______________________________________________________ 15

6. Largest artificial reservoirs of 10 square miles or more in each State __________ 19

III
Principal Lakes of the United States

By Conrad D. Bue

ABSTRACT

The United States has about 250 fresh-water lakes that are 

known to have surface areas of 10 square miles or more. 

Nearly 100 of these are in Alaska, and 100 in Minnesota, 

Wisconsin, Michigan, New York,, and Maine.

Thirty-four fresh-water lakes, exclusive of the Great 

Lakes, are known to have maximum depths of 250 feet or 

more. Twenty of these are in Alaska, and Alaska undoubtedly has more lakes of that depth which have not been 

sounded.

The amount of water stored in natural lakes even exclusive of the Great Lakes is much greater than the 

amount stored in artificial reservoirs. With the exception 

of the Great Lakes, however, the economic value of natural lakes is surpassed by that of artificial reservoirs. Natural lakes are best known for the recreational advantages 

they afford.

INTRODUCTION

This report is primarily a glossary of 

lakes in the United States that have surface 

areas of 10 square miles or more. A few 

known statistics on depths and some brief 

narrative information are included. The report was prepared to fill a need for general 

information on lakes suited to nontechnical 

readers.

Comparatively little statistical information on natural lakes has been collected in a 

systematic manner or according to uniform 

criteria. Agencies in most of the States that 

have many lakes have, at some time, issued 

inventory reports on lakes within their States, 

but the scope of the information varies considerably from one State to another. The most 

recent and comprehensive report one that 

merits special mention is a report on the 

lakes of western Washington (Wolcott, 1961) 

published by the Washington Department of 

Conservation. (A similar report on lakes in 

eastern Washington is in preparation by the 

State.)

Some of the lakes listed in this report have 

dams at their outlets so that the lakes can be 

regulated between prescribed levels, and thus 

provide a certain amount of artificial storage 

(Thomas and Harbeck, 1956). The areas of 

those lakes are the average areas under present regulation. With some possible exceptions, 

it is unlikely that the areas of regulated lakes 

have been changed very much by artificial 

regulation.

Because of their variable nature, saline 

lakes in the Great Basin are discussed at some 

length. Some of the lakes shown on older maps 

are now dry, or are much smaller than would 

be inferred from the maps. These saline lakes 

have no outlets, and hence are regulated entirely by climate, but their shrinkage, or disappearance, during the past few decades cannot be attributed to climatic changes alone; 

diversion of water from their tributaries for 

Man's use has been an important factor. The 

saline lakes that now exist in the Great Basin 

are the persistent leftovers from a time,thousands of years ago, when the Great Basin contained numerous lakes (Feth, 1961,) most of 

which have long since dried up. Two of these 

lakes, Bonneville and Lahontan, were huge 

Lake Bonneville was nearly as large as Lake 

Michigan, and Lake Lahontan was nearly as 

large as Lake Erie.

The statistical data presented in this report have been compiled from many sources, 

some of which could not be checked. A reader 

who finds an error will render a service if he 

calls it to the attention of the Geological Survey and cites his authority for the correct figure.
PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The names and surface areas of natural 

lakes in the United States have been compiled 

from many sources over a period of years, 

and for the purpose of this report were reviewed and revised in the district offices of 

the Surface Water Branch. Acknowledgment 

is made to Margaret P. Mahey for coordinating the review, and collating and assembling the final figures. The author is indebted to K. N. Phillips and M. T. Wilson, 

district engineers in Portland, Or eg., and 

Salt Lake City, Utah, respectively, for their 

helpful review of the manuscript and for 

some of the information presented, particularly in the sections on origin of lakes, and 

on saline lakes in Oregon and Utah. E. E. 

Harris, district engineer in Carson City, 

Nev., furnished most of the statistical data 

on saline lakes in Nevada. Much of the general information was gleaned from the references listed in "Selected Bibliography," 

at the end of this report.

ORIGIN OF NATURAL LAKES

The origin of natural lakes is associated 

with glacial action, volcanic action, warping 

of the earth's crust, and other natural phenomena. Once a lake is formed it depends 

for its existence upon a continuing source of 

water inflow to the lake and precipitation 

directly upon the lake to balance outflow 

from the lake and evaporation from the lake's 

surface. The origins of a few selected lakes 

are discussed briefly, as examples. The 

lakes selected are mostly those 10 square 

miles or more in area and are listed elsewhere in this report.

Glacial lakes are far more abundant than 

those of other origins. In the Northern States 

east of the 100th meridian, thousands of lakes 

were formed by the continental ice sheets 

during the great ice age. Comparatively 

little of the northwestern United States (except Alaska) was glaciated by continental ice 

sheets, but many lakes were formed by glaciers that might be classified broadly as the 

mountain-valley type. Glacial lakes occupy 

basins that were formed by the scouring action of moving ice, or the damming of stream 

channels by debris deposited by melting ice, 

or by a combination of these two processes. 

Of the thousands of glacial lakes, very few 

are as large as 10 square miles in surface 

area.

The Great Lakes came into existence as a 

result of the great ice age. It was once be*- 

lieved that the basins of the Great Lakes 

were formerly broad lowlands, which were 

scoured out and deepened by the continental 

glaciers. Recently evidence has been discovered that indicates that these basins may 

have been cut down to their present depths 

by the streams that flowed through them before the ice age, and that the scouring action 

of the glaciers may not have been as great 

as was once believed. Offshore drilling in 

Lake Superior by geologists from the University of Michigan revealed deep valleys on 

the lake floor which probably were cut by a 

mighty preglacial river system emptying 

either into Hudson Bay or the St. Lawrence 

River valley (Water Newsletter, Aug. 7, 

1961). Regardless of the origin of these 

great depressions, they were filled with water when the glaciers melted and retreated.

The Great Lakes underwent many changes 

before they reached their present outline. 

At one time before the close of the ice age, 

Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron were 

a single lake, which has been named Lake 

Algonquin. It had an area of 100,000 square 

miles, as compared with 77,230 square miles, 

the present area of the three lakes, and was 

more than 1,500 feet deep in places, as compared with 1,300 feet, the present maximum 

depth of Lake Superior. Lake Algonquin existed for several thousand years. Lake Erie 

was in existence, much as it is now, but 

the area occupied by the present Lake Ontario was covered by a much larger lake, 

called Lake Iroquois.

Lake Okeechobee in Florida is a remnant 

of a shallow sea, known as the Pamlico sea, 

which once occupied what is now the Everglades-Lake Okeechobee basin. The basin 

was formed when the Florida plateau emerged 

from the ocean as a result of movement £>f 

the earth's crust (Davis, 1943).

Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee was formed by 

the New Madrid earthquake in 1811 12, 

through a combination of sinking and upheaval of the earth's crust. The bed of the 

present lake was formerly low, marshy 

ground, which sank 5 to 20 feet or more as a 

result of the earthquake.

The Finger Lakes in New York are two 

groups of long, narrow lakes suggesting the
fingers of a hand. Geologists are not in full 

agreement as to the origin of these lakes, 

except that the lakes occupy the valleys of 

streams that existed before the great ice 

age, and that the basins of the streams were 

greatly modified by the moving ice. The two 

largest of these lakes are Cayuga and Seneca. 

Lake Cayuga is 381 feet above sea level and 

it reaches a maximum depth of 54 feet below sea level; Lake Seneca is 444 feet above 

sea level and it reaches a maximum depth of 

174 feet below sea level (Fenneman, 1938). 

A hole drilled to a depth of nearly 600 feet 

below the bottom of Lake Seneca did not 

reach the rock floor of the valley of the preglacial stream. An unanswered question of 

great interest is how these basins attained 

their great depth.

Crater Lake in Oregon (fig. 1), the deepest 

lake in the United States (see table 4) and 

well known for its intensely blue water, occupies a caldera 6 miles long and 4 miles 

wide. (A caldera is a crater formed by the

collapse of the central part of a volcano.) 

Most of the original volcanic mountain disappeared when the top of the cone collapsed 

into the crater after the last eruption. The 

name Mount Mazama has been given to this 

ancient volcano, which was active until late 

in the Pleistocene 1 epoch (Hussey, 1947). 

Recent studies (Briggs, 1962) indicate that 

Mount Mazama erupted about 6,500 years 

ago after a long period of quiescence, and 

that the cone collapsed soon after. When the 

crater had cooled off, water began to collect 

in the bottom of it, and Crater Lake was 

formed. No surface stream flows into or 

out of Crater Lake (see also p. 13). The lake 

is fed entirely by precipitation rain and 

snow which averages 66 inches of water 

annually. The lake loses water only through 

evaporation and seepage, which balance the

IThe Pleistocene epoch, which began about a million years ago, 

coincides approximately with the great ice age. According to 

geologic time divisions in rather common usage, the Pleistocene 

epoch ended some 10 thousand years ago, and we are now in the 

Recent epoch.

Figure 1. Crater Lake, Oregon, in winter. Water level is about 6,175 feet above sea level. The crater walls, rising as much as 

2,000 feet above the water, are remnants of a mountain more than 12,000 feet high. Wizard Island, in the middle ground, is the 

result of volcanic activity that continued after the main peak had collapsed. Photograph by Oregon State Highway Department.
PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES

Figure 2. Wallowa Lake, Oregon. Water level is about 4,370 feet above sea level. Bench in left foreground is a lateral m< 

Peaks of the Wallowa Mountains in background rise to altitudes of 8,500 to 10,000 feet. Photograph by Oregon State Hi 

Department.

oraine. 

Highway
THE GREAT LAKES

precipitation so that the lake level fluctuates 

only 1 to 3 feet per year.

Lake Tahoe in California-Nevada occupies 

a structural valley formed by geologic block 

faulting and modified by glacial action. A 

lake of rare beauty, and on the routes of two 

transcontinental highways, it is probably the 

best known and most visited lake in the western United States.

Lake Chelan in Washington, which is exceeded in depth only by two lakes (see table 

4), and Flathead Lake in Montana, in surface 

area the largest fresh-water lake in western 

conterminous United States (see table 3), were 

both formed by mountain-valley glaciers. 

Lake Chelan occupies a depression more 

than 600 feet below sea level gouged out by a 

glacier that moved nearly 90 miles down the 

Stehekin Valley from Cascade Pass.

There are many small lakes (less than 10 

square miles) that are of great local interest. Among these, Wallowa Lake in Oregon 

(fig. 2) was formed by a mountain-valley glacier. Davis Lake in Oregon was formed by a 

lava dam across Odell Creek; Spirit Lake in 

Washington was similarly formed by volcanic 

ejecta from Mount St. Helens. In August 1959 

an immense landslide, caused by an earthquake, dammed the Madison River in Montana 

and formed a small lake. The Uinta Mountains in northeastern Utah are dotted with 

small lakes of glacial origin.

Lakes are not permanent features of the 

landscape but, in terms of geologic time, are 

transitory. Ever at work to destroy lakes 

are natural forces which include among others, erosion of the outlet, filling with sediment carried by inflowing streams, and formation of peat on the lake bottom. In the 

natural course of events most lakes are destined to become swamps and eventually dry 

land, although this transformation may require hundreds or thousands of years.

Alt 602 ft

Even the Great Lakes are not immune 

from destructive forces. Although the lakes 

should last thousands of years, conservationists are concerned that sewage and industrial wastes being dumped into the lakes 

may be speeding up the natural aging process (Water Newsletter, 1961b). The eroding 

of the Niagara River channel, unless controlled by the works of man, is another force 

that could eventually affect the lakes by lowering the level of Lake Erie. The bottom of 

Lake Erie is higher than the surface of Lake 

Ontario (fig. 3); the Niagara River, not shown 

in figure 3, is the natural connecting channel 

between the two lakes. The Niagara Falls is 

gradually cutting its way up the Niagara 

River towards Lake Erie. Fenneman (1938) 

estimates that the main cataract is receding 

upstream at a rate of between 4 and 5 feet 

per year, and that the falls has receded upstream a distance of 6| miles since it came 

into existence. Although the falls might deteriorate into a series of rapids before it 

reaches Lake Erie, it is conceivable that, in 

time, the Niagara River could lower its channel enough to have a marked effect on the 

level of Lake Erie.

THE GREAT LAKES

Because of their great size, the Great 

Lakes are tabulated separately. The lakes 

are, in effect, inland seas, and cannot be 

compared with other, much smaller, lakes. 

In surface area, Lake Superior is the largest 

body of fresh water in the world, and Lakes 

Huron and Michigan rank third and fourth, 

respectively. 2 Statistics shown in table 1 

have been published by the U.S. Lake Survey 

(1952).

The Great Lakes have played an important 

role in the industrial development of the

ZThe second largest is Lake Victoria in Africa, which has a. surface area of 26,800 square miles and a maximum depth of 270 

feet.

Detroit River 

Alt 572 ft

Wetland Canal

Alt 246 ft Locks

LAKE SUPERIOR

After the U.S. Lake Survey (1952) 

Figure 3. Schematic section of Great Lakes, showing profile and relative depths.
PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES

Table 1. Statistical data on the Great Lakes

Lake

Superior _________________

Michigan ________________

Huron ___________________

Erie _---__-_--_________.

Ontario __________________

Total.. ________________

Surface area (square miles)

United 

States

20,710 

22,400 

9,110 

4,990 

3,560

60,770

Canada

11,110 

0 

13,900 

4,950 

3,980

33,940

Total

31,820 

22,400 

23,010 

9,940 

7,540

94,710

Maximum 

depth 

recorded 

(feet)

1,302 

923 

750 

210 

778

Mean elevation (feet above 

sea level) 

1960-1951

602.21 

580.57 

580.57 

572.31 

246.00

United States, as attested to by the industrial centers that have sprung up on the lakes' 

shores. With the completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway, seagoing ships of up to 25,000 

tons displacement can sail between the Atlantic Ocean and Duluth, Minn., a distance 

of some 2,300 miles.

NATURAL FRESH-WATER LAKES

This section lists, by States, the names 

and surface areas of lakes (exclusive of the 

Great Lakes) having surface areas of 10 

square miles or more. Some of these lakes 

are regulated by dams at their outlets, and 

the areas shown are the average areas under present regulation unless otherwise 

qualified. The total number of lakes listed 

is 245; their total surface area is 13,700 

square miles.

Twenty-three States have all the lakes of 

10 square miles or more, and numerous 

smaller lakes. Minnesota has 40 lakes of 

10 square miles or more, but the "Gazetteer of Meandered3 Lakes of Minnesota," 

published in 19 28 by the Minnesota State Department of Drainage and Waters, lists 

6,489 meandered lakes, of which 1,009 are 

unnamed, and states that the nonmeandered 

lakes may well outnumber the meandered 

lakes. Michigan has 17 lakes of 10 square 

miles or more, including Lake St. Clair, but 

the "Michigan Lakes and Streams Directory," published in 1931 by the Magazine of 

Michigan Company, lists 4,189 lakes with 

names. Other sources credit Michigan with 

more than 10,000 lakes. New York has 10 

lakes of 10 square miles or more, but an 

unpublished gazetteer lists 2,300 lakes and 

ponds of 0.01 square miles (about 6 acres)

or more. Washington has three lakes of 10 

square miles or more, but Water Supply bulletin No. 14, published by the State Department of Conservation, lists 3,813 lakes and 

reservoirs in the western 19 counties alone 

(about 37 percent of the State), for a total 

surface area of 174,734 acres, an average 

size of 46 acres, or about 0.07 square mile.

There is no rule that states how large or 

how deep a body of water must be to be 

called a lake, nor is there a clearly defined 

distinction between a lake and a pond. Biologists think of a pond as a body of water 

shallow enough that vegetation can grow all 

the way across it, but a better known definition of a pond is simply that it is a body of 

water too small to be called a lake. Although we commonly think of a pond as a 

small manmade body of water millpond, 

stock pond a pond can be a natural body of 

water; in fact, a natural pond may be a stage 

in the gradual extinction of a previously existing lake (see also p.5).

Although a natural lake may contain a 

large volume of water, this water is not all 

available for uses that require withdrawal. 

Only the natural outflow is' available for use; 

if more water were withdrawn, the lake 

would be lowered below its natural level. 

Many natural lakes are regulated between 

prescribed limits by dams at their outlets, 

and thus provide a certain amount of water 

in storage that can be released as desired. 

In this way, a natural lake can serve the 

same purpose as an artificial reservoir. 

With the exception of the Great Lakes, however, the economic value of our natural 

lakes is probably not as great as that of our 

artificial reservoirs.

A meandered lake is one whose boundary has been surveyed.
NATURAL FRESH-WATER LAKES

Natural lakes are better known for the 

recreational advantages they offer than for 

their contribution to our national economy. 

Lakes are among the earth's most scenic 

features and make ideal sites for summer 

homes, tourist resorts, and other recreational facilities. Of the lakes mentioned in 

this report, the following are in National 

Parks, and hence afford certain facilities 

extended by the National Park Service:

Yellowstone Lake...........................Yellowstone National Park

Lake McDonald ..................................Glacier National Park

Jackson Lake................................. Grand TetonNational Park

Lake Crescent.................................... Olympic National Park

Crater Lake...................................Crater Lake National Park

In the list of lakes by States, (table 2), the 

locations of the lakes are given by counties 

except those in Alaska, for which locations 

are given by latitude and longitude. The degree of accuracy with which the areas were 

measured is not known; it is unlikely that the 

accuracy is of the same degree for all the 

States, but the figures shown are the best 

available.

For the convenience of thpse who are interested in the ranking of the largest lakes, 

a separate list (table 3) ranks the lakes of 

100 square miles or more.

Table 2. Natural fresh-water lakes of 10 square miles or more, excluding the Great Lakes, arranged by States

Name

Alaska: 

ILiamna_ __________

Becharof _______ _

Teshekpuk _ _ _____

Naknek ___________

Tustumena_ _______

Clark _________

Dall_____ ____ __

Inland 1 ____ ___

Imuruk Basin

Upper Ugashik ____

Kukaklek ______

Lower Ugashik. _ _

Nerka_ ___________

Nuyakuk _ ___ _ ___

Aropuk_ __________

Tazlina ________ _

Nanwhyenuk or

Nonvianuk _______

Nunavakpak

Kaghasuk1 ... __ _

Skilak _________

Chauekuktuli_ _____

Chikuminuk_ ______

Beverly _ ___ _ _

Whitef ish_ ___ ___

Aleknagik ___ _ ___

Brooks ____ _ ___ _

Kgun _ _ _ _ ____ _

Nonvianuk ______ _

Takslesluk __ __

George. __________

Nunavak Anukslak _

Unnamed. _ ______

Grosvenor _ _ ______

Tetlin _________

Latitude

59°35

57°50

70°35

58°35

60°25

60°10

60°15

66°30

65°05

57°50

59°35

57°30

59°20

59°50

61°10

61°50

59°00

60°45

60°55

60°25

60°05

60°15

59°40

61°20

59°20

58°30

61°35

59°00

61°05

61°15

61°05

60°55

58°40

63°05

Longitude

155°00

156°25

153 °30

156°00

150°20

154°00

163°45

159°50

165°40

156°25

155°00

156°55

158°45

158°50

163°45

146°30

155°25

162°40

163°40

150°20

158°50

158°55

158°45

160°00

158°45

155°55

163°50

155°30

162°55

148°35

162°30

164°00

155°15

142°45

Area 

(sq mi)

1,000

458

315

242

117

110

100

95

80

75

72

72

69

64

57

57

56

53

52

38

34

34

33

33

31

31

31

31

31

29

29

28

27

27

Name

Alaska Continued: 

Cbakachamna __ __

Imuruk_ __________

Nunavakanuk_ _____

Louise ___________

Minchumina ______

KLutina. __________

Unnamed _________

Do __ ____ __ __

Beluga _______ __ _

Unnamed __ ___ _

Do __________

Kenai ____________

Kyigayalik_ _______

Tikchik __________

Bering _______ _ _

Kulik ___ _______

Upnuk_ ___________

Unnamed slough. __

Teloquana ________

Unnamed _________

Do __________

Do __________

Five Day Slough. __

Togiak _________ _

Unnamed _ _ _ __ _

Black _ ____ _ _ __

Ualik _________

Walker ________

Unnamed ____ __ _

Do _________

Do _________

Amanka _________

Whitef ish__ __ __

Unnamed ________

Cros s wind. ______

Latitude

61°10

65°35

62°05

62°20

63°55

61°40

61°30

71°05

61°25

60°05

61°40

60°25

61°00

59°55

60°20

59°50

60°05

62°40

60°55

60°30

61°00

61°30

62°05

59°35

59°55

56°25

59°05

67°05

60°20

60°50

59°50

59°05

60°55

71°00

62°20

Longitude

152*30.

163°10

164-40

146°30

152°15

145°30

164°30

156°30

151°30

164°00

160°25

149°35

162°30

158°20

144°20

158°50

158°55

163°30

153°55

161°40

163°45

164°55

162°00

159°35

163°15

159°00

159°30

154°25

164°25

163°30

163°30

159°10

154°55

156°00

146 °00

Area 

!sq mi)

26

26

25

23

23

22

22

21

20

20

20

19

19

19

17

17

17

17

16

16

16

16

15

15

15

14

14

14

14

14

14

13

13

13

12

See footnotes at end of table.
PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES

Table 2. Natural fresh-water lakes of 10 square miles or more, excluding the Great Lakes, arranged by States Cont.

Name

Alaska Continued: 

Kakhomak. _ _____

Karluk ________

Mother Goose ____

Unname d__ _ _____

Do. __________

Do. __________

Do. __________

Coleville _ _ _____

Harlequin ________

Unnamed_ ________

Do. __________

"R^QT*

Chignik ___ ___ _

Latitude

59°30

57°20

57°10

60°25

59°50

62°15

70°50

58°45

59°25

60°25

60°55

c conn

56°15

Longitude

154°10

154°05

157°20

164°10

163°25

162°20

153°30

155°40

138°55

164°10

162°20

i enoi K

158°50

Area 

(sq mi)

12

12

12

12

12

12

12

11

11

11

11

10

10

Name

Alaska Continued: 

Ewan_ _ ___________

Kontr ashibuna_

Kukaklik ______ _

Kulik _________

Do. __________

Miles ______ ___

Susitna__ _ _______

Unnamed ___ _ ____

Do ___________

Do ___________

Do ___________

Latitude

62°25

60°10

61°40

58°55

61°45

60°40

62°25

60°20

60°25

60°55

59°55

65>°00

Longitude

145°50

154°00

160°30

155°00

160°40

144°45

146°40

162°00

162°00

162°10

163°15

i fi9°oo

Area 

(sq mi)

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

10

Name

California: 

Tahoe 2 ________

Clear _________

Eagle 3 _ ____ __

Florida:

fyir ^ ^ r* V\ o In £> &

(T^^jr»ryp

Kissimmee _____ _

Apopka_ __________

Istokpoga. ________

Tsala Apopka __ _ _

Tohopekaliga _ _ _

Harris _ x _ _ ._,_,- rOrange. _ _ ______

East Tohopekaliga. 

Griffin ________

Monroe ___ _ _____

Jessup ___________

Weohyakapka _ _ _

Talquin __________

Eustis _ ___ _____

Blue Cypress.. __ 

Hatchineha _______

Lochloosa ______ _

Idaho: 

Pend Oreille. _ ___

County

Placer, Eldorado. 

Lake__ __________

Lassen__ ________

Hendry, Glades, 

Okeechobee, 

Martin, Palm 

Beach. 

Putnam, Marion, 

Volusia, Lake. 

Osceola, Polk _ __ 

Orange__________

Highlands _______

Citrus _ _ _ __ __

Osceola __ _ _ ___

Lake__ _______ __

Alachua, Marion _ 

Osceola _ _ .. ___ 

Lake______ _ ____

Seminole,Volusia_ 

Seminole ________

Polk _________

Gadsden, Leon___ 

Lake ____________

Osceola, Indian 

River. 

Polk, Osceola __ 

Alachua _________

Bonner _______ _ _

Area 

'sq mi)

193 

65 

41

700

70

55 

48 

43 

30 

29 

27 

26 

19 

14 

14 

13 

12 

11 

11 

10

10 

10

148

Name

[daho Continued: 

Bear 4 ______ __

Coeur d'Alene ____ 

Priest _ _ _ _ ____

Grays 6 __ _____

Henrys ___________

[owa: 

Spirit ____________

Louisiana: 

White 7 ________

Grand. ___________

Caddo 8 _______ _

Catahoula 9 _______

Grand. _ _ ____ __ _

Six Mile _______ _

Fausse Pointe ____ 

Lac des 

Allemands. 

Verret _ __ __ _ _

Polour de _________

Maine: 

Moosehead _______

Sebago _ _ _ __ _ _

Chesuncook 10 _ _ _

West Grand _____

Flagstaff __ __ __ _

Spednik11 ______ 

Grand Falls11 ___

County

Bear Lake _ ______

Kootenai _________

Bonner _ __ _ ______

Bonneville,Caribou_ 

Fremont__ _ ______

Dickinson ____ __

Vermilion __ ____

Iberia, St. Mary, 

St. Martin. 

De Soto __ ____ .

La Salle _______

Cameron __ ._ _ __

St. Martin, St. Mary. 

St. Mary, Iberia _ _ 

St. John the 

Baptist. 

As sumption _______

St. Martin, St. 

Mary, Assumption.

Piscataquis, 

Somerset. 

Cumberland. _ __ _

Piscataquis ____ _ _

Washington _______

Somerset, Franklin. 

Washington _ _ __

____ do ___ __ _.

Area 

sq mi)

SLIO 

50 

37 

34 

10

12

83 

64

60 

32 

32 

30 

24

23 

22 

18

117

45 

43 

37 

28 

28 

27

See footnotes at end of table.
NATURAL FRESH-WATER LAKES

Table 2. Natural fresh-water lakes of 10 square miles or more, excluding the Great Lakes, arranged by States Cont.

Lake

Maine Continued: 

East Grand 11 __ __

Mooselookmeguntic. 

Twin ____ __ ___

Chamberlain and 

Telos. 

Gr aham_ _________

Churchill and 

Eagle. 

Baskahegan ______

Umbagog 12 __ ____

Brassua _ ___ ___

Squar e___________

Millinocket_ ______

Great___ __ _____

Richards on_ ______

Schoodic __ __ ____

Sebec___ _________

Aziscohos_ _____ _

Canada Falls _ __ 

Rangeley _ _ _ _____

Michigan: 

St. Clair13 __ _ __

Houghton_ ________

Torch _ _ ______ _

Charlevoix14 ___ _

Burt________ __ __

Mullet ________

Gogebic __________

Manistique

Black ___________

Crystal _____ _ ___

Portage. __ _ _____

Higgins _ _____

Hubbard _________

Leelanau _ _______

Indian _______ _ __

Elk _ ____________

Glen __ _______

Minnesota: 

Lake of the 

Woods.15

County

Washington, 

Aroostook. 

Oxford, Franklin- _

Penobscot, 

Piscataquis. 

Piscataquis ______

Hancock _________

Piscataquis ______

Washington. ______

Oxford. __ ___ ____

Somerset ________

Aroostook. __

Penobscot, 

Piscataquis. 

Kennebec ___ _ ___

Oxford, __ ___ __

Piscataquis ______

.____do_ __________

Oxford ____ ___

Somerset ________

Oxford ___ _______

Ros common ______

Antrim, Kalkaska. 

Charlevoix _____ _

Cheboygan _______

L____do _____ ____

Ontonagon, 

Gogebic. 

Mackinac, Luce___ 

Cheboygan, 

Presque Isle. 

Benzie_ __________

Houghton. ________

Crawford, 

Roscommon. 

Alcona____ _ __ _ 

Le elanau_ ________

Schoolcr aft _______

Antrim, Grand 

Traverse. 

Leelanau _________

Lake of the 

Woods.

Area 

(sq mi)

26 

26 

25 

22

19 

17 

17 

16 

16 

15 

14 

14

13 

13 

11 

11 

10 

10 

10

460 

31 

29 

27 

27 

26 

21

16 

16

15 

15 

15

14 

13 

12 

12

10 

1,485

Lake

Minnesota Continue 

Upper and Lower 

Red. 

Rainy 15 __________

Mille Lacs ___ _ _.

Leech. ____ __ ....

Winnibigoshish. ... 

Vermilion ________

Lac La Croix15 _ .

Cass___ ______ _ _.

Basswood 15 ___ _ _.

Namakan 15 _______

Kabetogama ______

Pepin 16 __ __ __ _

Mud _________ _

Saganaga15 _______

Pokegama ________

Minnetonka _ _ _ _ _

Otter Tail __ __

Gull _________ _

Pelican __ _ _ ____

Traver s e 17 _______

Big Stone 17 _______

Crooked 1! ________

Sandy ____ _ ___ __

Swan_ ____________

Island. ___________

Bowstring ________

Burntside ________

Sand Point15 ______

Trout____________

St. Croix 16 _______

Lac qui Parle__ _ _

Pelican __________

Dead__ ___ ____

Minnewaska _ ____

Thief ___ __ __ __

Nett _____ _ __ __

Osakis ___________

Bemidji __________

Lida _____________

Montana: 

Flathead __ ______

Medicine _____ ___

McDonald ________

County

;d: 

Beltrami. ________

Koochiching, St. 

Louis. 

Aitken^ Crow 

Wing, Mille Lacs. 

Cass ___________ 

Itasca, Cass______

St. Louis____ ____

_____do_ _________

Cass, Beltrami___ 

Lake ____________

St. Louis. __ ______

Itasca ______ _ _ _

Goodhue, Wabasha_ 

Marshall. ___ _ ...

Cook ______ __ ___

Itasca ___________

Hennepin, Carver. 

Otter Tail ________

Cass, Crow Wing _ 

St. Louis ________

Traverse __ _ ____

Big Stone ________

St. Louis, Lake _ _ 

Aitkin ___________

Nicollet_____ _ _ _

St. Louis. _ _______

Itaska ___________

St. Louis____ _ ___

_____do_ __ __ ___

_ __ do_ _____ __

Washington. ______

Chippewa, Lac qui 

Parle. 

Crow Wing _______

Otter Tail_ __ ___

Pope___ _ ________

Mar shall_ ________

St. Louis, 

Koochiching. 

Douglas, Todd____ 

Beltrami. ________

Otter Tail_____ ___

Lake, Flathead ___ 

Sheridan _________

Flathead _________

Area 

(sq ml)

451 

345 

207

176 

109 

77 

53 

46 

46 

44 

40 

39 

37 

32 

24 

22 

22 

20 

19 

18 

17 

17 

15 

15 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

13 

13

13 

12 

12 

12 

12

10 

10 

10

18 197 

19 15 

10

See footnotes at end of table.
10 PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES

Table 2. NatutaJ fresh-water lakes of 10 square miles or more, excluding the Great Lakes, arranged by States Cent.

Name

Nevada: 

Tahoe 2 ________

New Hampshire: 

Winnipesaukee ____

Umbagog12 _______

Squam ____ _ _ _ _

New York:

Champlain20 __ __

Oneida ___ _ ______

Seneca ___________

Cavuffa

George_ ___ _ _____

Chautauqua _______

Black ________ _

Canandaigua _ _ _

Skaneateles _______

Owasco _______ _ _

North Carolina:

Mattamuskeet 22 _ _ _

Phelps _ ___ _____

Waccamaw _______

Oregon: 

Upper Klamath____

Crater ___________

South Dakota:

Traverse 17 ___ _ __

Big Stone17 ____ _

Tennessee: 

Reelfoot__ __ __ .

County

Ormsby,Douglas_ _

Belknap, Carroll__

Coos _ __ _ ________

Gafton, Carroll _ _

Clinton, Essex____

Oswego, Oneida ___

Seneca, Schuyler _ _

Cayuga, Seneca,

Tompkins.

Warren __ _ _

Chautauqua _ _

St. Lawrence _____

Ontario, Yates

Onondaga, Cayuga _

Cayuga_____ __

Hyde _________ .

Washington _______

Columbus ____ _ __

Klamath. _____ _ __

_._ _do__ _ __ _ __

Roberts __________

_. __do______ _.

Lake, Obion ______

Area 

!sq mi)

193

72

16

11

'21490

80

67

66

44

21

17

17

14

10

67

25

14

23142

21

18

17

22

Name

Texas: 

Caddo 8 ________

Utah: 

Utah _________

Bear 4 .. __ ___ __ _

Vermont:

Champlain 20 _ _ __

Washington:

Chelan ________

Washington _ _

Ozette ___ ____

Wisconsin:

Winnebago_ _______

Pepin16 ______ .

Poygan__ 

Ko shkonong. _ _ _ __

Mendota_ _________

St. Croix16 ____ .

Gr een_ ___________

Wyoming: 

Yellowstone _ ____

Jackson _ ________

Shoshone __ ______

County

Marion _ ________

Utah _________

Rich __ ___ __ __

Chittenden,

Franklin.

Chelan __ __ __

King __ _ ________

Clallam ______

Winnebago,

Calumet, Fond du

Lac.

Pierce, Pepin _ _ _

Winnebago _______

Jefferson __ _ _ _ _

Dane ____________

St. Croix ___ ___

Green Lake ______

Yellowstone

National Park.

Teton ________

Yellowstone

National Park.

Area 

(sq mi)

60

140

110

21 490

55

35

12

215

39

17

16

15

12

11

^131

2539

11

May be salt water.

3 California and Nevada. 

Mildly saline, less than 1,000 ppm.

4 Idaho and Utah.

5 136 sq mi including Mud Lake.

* Submerged marsh.

'Originally brackish; now kept fresh by controls on salt water 

intrusion.

"Louisiana and Texas.

'Shrinks to small area at extremely low stages. 

10Includes Ripogenus and Caribou. 

"Maine and Quebec. 

12Maine and New Hampshire. 

^Michigan and Ontario. 

Formerly called Pine.

15Minnesota and Ontario.

l*Minnesota and Wisconsin.

1 'Minnesota and South Dakota.

l8At normal high water; 188 sq mi at medium low water; lake 

regulated for power between these limits.

"Includes 4 islands having area of about 1 sq mi.

2<>New York, Vermont, and Quebec.

21 Includes islands totaling about 55 sq mi.

22The lake originally landlocked, was drained and provided 

with outlet and is fresh water; level regulated to some extent by 

control works on canals draining the area.

23At upper level; dam at outlet allows regulation so that area 

varies between 93 and 142 sq mi.

24 Includes islands totaling 3 sq mi.

25Enlarged by dam; original area, 30 sq mi.
AMOUNT OF WATER IN LAKES

Table 3. Natural fresh-water lakes of 100 square miles or more, excluding the Great Lakes, ranked by size

11

Name

Lake of the Woods__

Hiamna ___________

Okeechobee_ _ ______

Champlain_ ________

St. Clair _______ .

Becharof __ _ ______

Upper and Lower

Red.

Rainy _____________

Teshekpuk. ________

Naknek. _____ _ ____

Winnebago_ _ _______

Location

Minnesota and

Ontario.

Alaska. __________

Florida ___ __ _ _ _

New York, Vermont, and Quebec.

Michigan and

Ontario.

Alaska. __________

Minnesota ________

Minnesota and

Ontario.

Alaska. __________

__ __ do_ ____ ___

Wisconsin _______

Area 

(sq mi)

1,485

1,000

700

490

460

458

451

345

315

242

215

Name

Mille Lacs________

Flathead ____ ____

Tahoe __ __ _____

Leech ____________

Pend Or eille ______

Upper KLamath _ _ _

Utah _________ _

Yellowstone. _ _ _ _ _

Tustumena. _______

Moosehead_ _______

Clark __ __ _____

Bear _____ _ ______

Winnibigoshish

Dall ___________

Location

Minnesota. _______

Montana _________

California and

Nevada.

Minnesota. _______

Idaho _ __ _ ... _ _

Oregon __________

Utah __________

Wyoming. ________

Alaska. _____ _ ___

Maine ___________

Alaska. _____ _ ___

Idaho and Utah____

Minnesota. _______

Alaska. __________

Area 

(sq mi)

207

197

193

176

148

142

140

137

117

117

110

110

109

100

DEPTHS OF LAKES

Table 4 (see page 12) includes lakes that 

are 250 feet deep or more. The sources of 

some of the figures are unknown, but the figures are believed to be fairly reliable. The 

list probably is incomplete; there may be 

other lakes deeper than 250 feet, particularly 

in Alaska. The lakes in this list are not limited to those having surface areas of 10 square 

miles or more, but those smaller than 10 

square miles are footnoted.

Some of the Alaskan lakes are very small 

in area, considering their depth; Crater Lake 

has an area of only about 1 square mile, and 

Long and Deer Lakes have areas of only 

about 2 square miles. Grant and Swan Lakes 

were both sounded only a short distance offshore, and might be considerably deeper than 

the figures shown.

Of the 34 lakes in this list of deep lakes, 

20 are in Alaska, 10 are in the far West, and 

4 are in the Northeast.

AMOUNT OF WATER IN LAKES

The amount of water stored in lakes is 

very large compared with the amount stored 

in stream channels at any given time. However, a greater part of the water stored in 

lakes is in a few lakes of great size. The

Great Lakes, which are shared by the United 

States and Canada, hold about 5,500 cubic 

miles of water. 4 By way of comparison with 

streamflow, about 400 cubic miles of water, 

on the average, flows into the ocean from the 

conterminous United States (exclusive of 

Alaska and Hawaii) each year, only a small 

part of which would be in temporary storage 

in the stream channels at any given time. 

Eight of the deepest known lakes in the conterminous United States (table 4), whose 

depths range from 316 feet to 1,932 feet and 

whose areas exceed 10 square miles Tahoe 

in California and Nevada, Pend Oreille in 

Idaho, Chelan in Washington, Crater in Oregon, Champlain in New York and Vermont, 

Seneca and Cayuga in New York, and Sebago 

in Maine contain about 55 cubic miles of 

water. Lake Okeechobee in Florida, although 

large in surface area, is shallow, and probably contains less than 2 cubic miles of 

water. The six deep lakes in southwestern 

Alaska, whose areas exceed 10 square miles 

(table 4) Aleknagik, Beverley, Chauekuktuli, 

Clark, Nerka, and Nuyakuk contain about 13 

cubic miles of water. By way of comparison,

*For the purpose of this report, volumes of natural lakes were 

estimated by the formula, Volume = 1/3 maximum depth x surface area. This formula gives results that probably are too low, 

but they are satisfactory for making comparisons. A more accurate method is given by Hutchinson (1957), but it requires 

more information than is available for most lakes. Hutchinson 

gives 5,900 cubic miles of water as the contents of the five 

Great Lakes.
12 PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES

Table 4. Natural fresh-water lakes 250 feet deep or more, ranked by depth

Name

Crater1 . __________

Tahoe 2 ___________

Chelan ___________

Pend Oreille __ _ __

Nuyakuk3 _________

Deer 4,5____ _ _

Chauekuktuli 3 _ _

Crescent 4 - 6 _______

Seneca*7 __________

Clark3 ___________

Beverley3 . ______

Nerka 3 ___________

Tokatz 4 - 5 __ ______

Long4 - 5 __________

Lower

Sweetheart. 4 - 5

Cayuga 7 __ __

Crater 4 * 5 __ __ __

Location

Oregon __________

California and

Nevada. 

Washington, ______

Idaho ____________

Alaska. __________

_____do__________

_____do__________

Washington, ______

New York ________

Alaska ___________

_____do__ __ __ __

_____do__________

_____do_____ __ __

_____do__________

_____do __ __ __

New York

Alaska, ______ _ _

Depth 

(feet)

1,932

1,645

1,605

1,200

930

877

700

624

618

606

500

475

474

470

459

435

414

Name

Cooper 4 - 5 _________

Champlain ________

Kasnyku 4 ' 5 _______

Chakachamna5_ _ _ _ _

Ozette 6 , __ _______

Aleknagik3 ________

Sebago ___________

Swan 4 « 5 ___________

Baranof f 4 « 5_ _______

Payette2 __________

Quinault 4 ' 5 .. ______

Crescent 4 - 5 _______

Wallowa 4 ' 8 ________

Chilkoot 4 ' 5 __ _____

Odell 4- 9 ___ _______

Silver 4 - 5 ___ __ _ ___

Grant 4 - 5 ___ __ __

Location

Alaska ___________

New York, Vermont,

and Quebec. 

Alaska ___________

_____do ____ __ __

Washington _______

Alaska ___________

Maine _ ______ __

Alaska ___________

_____do __ __ ____

Idaho_ ____________

Washington ___ __

Alaska _ _________

Oregon ___________

Alaska _ ________

Oregon ______ _

Alaska ___________

_____do __________

Depth 

(feet)

>400

400

393

380

331

330

316

>314

303

>300

About

300

291

283

282

279

278

>250

'Sounded by U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1959. In 1886, 

Mark Kerr measured 1,996 feet at approximately same point. 

According to Hutchinson (1957), Crater Lake is the second deepest 

lake in the Western Hemisphere, exceeded only by Great Slave 

Lake in Canada, depth about 2,010 ft.

2Russell (1885, p. 72).

3Interim report on southwestern Alaska, by the Corps of Engineers, 

1954,and Mertie 0.938, p. 1$.

4Less than 10 square miles.

founded by U.S. Geological Survey.

6Wolcott f 1961).

7Fenneman (1938).

8W. D. Smith, Northwest Science, December 1939.

9Sounded by K. N. Phillips, Aug. 10, 1940.

Note: Pyramid Lake, a saline lake in Nevada (see p. 14) is about 

280 feet deep at its present level, according to M. T. Wilson 

(written communication, 1962).

the 1,300 reservoirs listed by Thomas and 

Harbeck (1956) would contain about 80 cubic 

miles of water if all were full at the same 

time.

Little is known about the almost countless 

small lakes that dot some parts of the country, but their total content probably is small 

as compared with the few large lakes.

SALINE LAKES

All lakes contain some dissolved solids. 

There is no specific criterion for distinguishing between fresh water and saline water, but the following classification, in terms 

of ppm (parts per million) of dissolved solids, has been used by the Geological Survey 

(Winslow and Kister, 1956; Kreiger and others, 1957):

Dissolved solids 

Description

Slightly saline................................. 1,000 to 3,000

Moderately saline ............................ 3,000 to 10,000

Very saline..................................... 10,000 to 35,000

Brine ............................................More than 35,000

Water containing as much as 1,000 ppm of 

dissolved solids is acceptable for drinking, 

although in some areas water of higher salinity is used for drinking. In parts of the 

western United States water containing as 

much as 4,000 ppm of dissolved solids is 

used for irrigation. Ocean water contains 

about 35,000 ppm of dissolved solids, mostly 

sodium chloride.

Most of the saline lakes in the United States 

are in the Great Basin, which includes nearly 

all of Nevada, the western half of Utah, and 

parts of Oregon, California, Idaho, and Wyoming. The Great Basin has no outlet to the 

ocean. The rivers and streams that originate 

in the Great Basin eventually empty into 

lakes and sinks from which the water has no 

escape except by evaporation.

All lakes are either closed or open. Lakes 

from which water leaves only by evaporation 

are termed closed; those with any kind of 

effluent, whether it is seepage or a surface
SALINE LAKES 13

outlet, are termed open (Hutchinson, 1957). 

The saline lakes in the Great Basin are 

closed; they have no surface outlet, nor do 

they lose water by seepage. These saline 

lakes occupy sealed basins (Harding, 1962) 

and lose water only by evaporation. Evaporation removes water in the form of pure 

water vapor and leaves the dissolved solids; 

hence the waters of closed lakes tend to become saline. Occasionally, a saline lake 

fills up and spills over into an adjoining 

basin and thus freshens temporarily. Absence of a surface outlet does not, by itself, 

indicate that a lake is saline. Crater Lake 

in Oregon (see also p. 3 ), for example, has 

no surface outlet, but it loses water by seepage as well as by evaporation, the salts that 

tend to accumulate are carried out with the 

seepage water, so that the water in the lake 

remains fresh. All fresh-water lakes are 

open.

The largest of the saline lakes is Great 

Salt Lake in Utah, the water of which is much 

saltier than ocean water. It is a remnant of 

ancient Lake Bonneville, which at its highest 

level covered an area of some 20,000 square 

miles (fig. 4), Lake Bonneville came into 

existence during the great ice age. Ice was 

not a direct factor in forming the lake, but 

as a result of the cooler andmoister climate 

that brought on the great ice age, water accumulated in the basin and formed Lake 

Bonneville. The lake reached a maximum 

level about 1,000 feet higher than the present level of Great Salt Lake; it overflowed at 

Red Rock Pass in the northern rim of the 

Great Basin (fig. 4) and its water reached 

the Pacific Ocean by way of the Portneuf. 

Snake, and Columbia Rivers. Geologic evidence indicates that the overflow occurred 

30,000 to 40,000 years ago (Trimble and 

Carr, 1961).

With the return of warmer drier climate, 

inflow to Lake Bonneville diminished and 

evaporation from the lake surface increased, 

and the lake level began to drop. The recession of Lake Bonneville was not gradual and 

uniform. Morrison (1961) shows that the 

lake has passed through five cycles of recession and advance, and may have dried up 

completely during one of the cycles.

«&

Rim of Great Basin

114-

Red Rock Pass, 

where Lake 

Bonneville 

overflowed

112'

50 100 200 MILES 

_I

After Gilbert (1890)

Figure 4. Sketch map of Utah, showing approximate outline of 

Lake Bonneville and Great Salt Lake.

The maximum water surface elevation of 

Great Salt Lake since 1851 was 4,211.6 feet 

above sea level in 1873; the minimum was 

4,191.6 in 1961. During the three decades 

preceding 1960 the lake level fluctuated between about 4,195 and 4,200 feet. During 

1960 and 1961 the lake level dropped about 

3 \ feet as a result of drought. At the highest 

level in 1873, the area of the lake was about 

2,400 square miles; at the lowest level in 

1961, the area was about 950 square miles.

The general downward trend in the level of 

Great Salt Lake since 1873 doesn't necessarily mean that the lake is drying up. The 

lake level tends to maintain a balance between the amount of water evaporated from 

the lake surface and the amount of water 

contributed to it by inflow and by direct precipitation. In other words, the lake is always
14 PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES

seeking to stabilize its level. During a pe~ 

riod of dry years the level drops and the 

area decreases rapidly, so that the total volume of evaporation is considerably diminished. Thus less inflow is required to maintain an existing lake level. During a period 

of wet years the level rises and the area is 

materially increased, providing for a larger 

volume of evaporation to compensate for the 

greater inflow. An important factor contributing to the decline of the lake level is the 

diversion of water, for Man's use, from the 

streams that flow into the lake.

The water in Great Salt Lake is a brine. 

According to Langbein (1961), the salinity of 

the lake was 138,000 ppm in 1877 when the 

surface area was 2,200 square miles, and 

276,000 ppm in 1932 when the area was 1,300 

square miles.

Several closed lakes exist in the Lahontan 

Basin in western Nevada and the eastern 

edge of California. The Lahontan Basin is a 

subbasin within the Great Basin. It is tributary to ancient Lake Lahontan, which existed 

at the same time as Lake Bonneville (Russell, 1885; Gilbert, 1890) and had a similar 

history except that it did not overflow its basin. At its highest level, Lake Lahontan had 

a surface area of more than 8,000 square 

miles and had a maximum depth of about 

900 feet.

The two largest lakes in the Lahontan 

Basin 5 are Pyramid and Walker Lakes, both 

of which occupy depressions in the bed of 

former Lake Lahontan. There is some uncertainty as to whether or not they are actual remnants of Lake Lahontan. Their waters 

are relatively fresh, not strong brines like 

the water of Great Salt Lake, but Langbein 

(1961) has shown that the salt content of a 

closed lake is no measure of its age.

In addition to Pyramid and Walker Lakes, 

the following were listed by Russell (1885) as 

existing in the bed of former Lake Lahontan 

when he made his field investigation in 1882: 

Honey Lake in California; Winnemucca, Humboldt, North Carson (Carson Sink), and South

5Lake Tahoe. although in the Lahontan Basin, is not included 

with the Lahontan lakes. Lake Tahoe is a fresh-water lake (see 

p. 5), in the high Sierras near the western edge of the basin, and 

has an outlet to Truckee River.

Carson (Carson) Lakes in Nevada. These 

lakes are shown on some maps, although all 

except Pyramid and Walker Lakes have 

dried up or are dry periodically.

Other lakes in the Great Basin have likewise dried up in recent years, or are dry 

periodically: Sevier Lake in Utah; Goose 

Lake in California-Oregon; Abert, Summer, 

and Silver Lakes in Oregon; and perhaps 

other smaller lakes. Abert, Goose, and 

Summer Lakes were dry or almost dry in 

the mid twenties or early thirties; all were 

fairly high in 1958, especially Abert Lake 

where the salty water killed juniper trees as 

much as 60 years old. 6 Some maps show 

Malheur and Harney Lakes in Oregon as lakes 

of considerable size. They are playas flats 

covered periodically by ephemeral or intermittent lakes and since 1895their combined 

surface area has ranged repeatedly from 

about 125 square miles down to about 2 square 

miles (Piper andothers, 1939). (The two lakes 

are interconnected; when Malheur Lake, the 

larger of the two, fills up it overflows into 

Harney Lake.) Owens Lake in California, 

which in 1872 prior to any upstream irrigation had an area of 110 square miles, was 

down to 35 square miles in 1943. There has 

been no surface inflow into Owens Lake from 

the Owens River since 1943, and the lake has 

been dry parts of each year since then. 7

Salton sea in southern California, which occupies a depression known as Salton Sink, is 

a well-known body of saline water. According 

to geologic evidence, Salton Sink was once 

part of the Gulf of California, perhaps only a 

few thousand years ago. The mouth of the 

Colorado River was then near Yuma. The 

delta of the river built up and cut off the upper end of the gulf, creating the ancestral Salton Sea, known as Lake Cahuilla. Evidently, 

the river shifted back and forth across its 

delta and discharged alternately into the gulf 

and into Salton Sink (Brown, 1923). In between 

such occasional floodings the sink would dry 

up, leaving a salt flat about 270 feet below sea 

level (the lowest point in the sink is 273.5 feet 

below sea level). The last flooding from the 

Colorado River occurred in 1905 7; a large 

area of farmland was threatened with inundation, until the breach was closed largely

*K. N. Phillips, written communication, 1961. 

J"M. B. Scott, written communication, 1961; information from 

City of Los Angeles, Dept. of Water and Power.
SALINE LAKES 15

through the efforts of the Southern Pacific 

Co.

Salton Sea attracted considerable attention 

during the early 1950's when its level started 

to rise. The flooding from the Colorado 

River in 1905-7 raised the level of Salton Sea 

to 195 feet below sea level and covered an 

area of about 650 square miles. The level 

then began to drop and reached a low of about 

251 feet below sea level in 1924. During the 

1940's the level was fairly constant at about 

240 to 241 feet below sea level. The rise in 

the 1950's was due to increased return flow 

resulting from increased irrigation with water from the Colorado River. The level now 

(1962) appears to be fairly well stabilized at 

about 235 feet below sea level, with a surface 

area of about 350 square miles. The salinity 

of Salton Sea is approximately that of sea 

water.

Devils Lake in North Dakota is shown on 

some maps as being of considerable size. In 

1867 the total lake surface covered about 140 

square miles, but by 1940 the lake level had 

dropped 37 feet and the lake had shrunk to a 

shallow body of stagnant water covering a 

little more than 10 square miles (Swenson 

and Colby, 1955). Since 1940 the lake level 

has been generally rising. Because of its

shape, Devils Lake is apparently a blocked 

pre-glacial drainage channel. 7a

It is not possible to give a single unqualified figure of area for most of the saline 

lakes in the Great Basin. Being closed, they 

are subject to considerable fluctuation because of climatic variations. Furthermore, 

some of these lakes are relatively shallow 

and have gently sloping shores, so that even 

a small change in lake level results in a 

comparatively large change in area. In table 

5 the present area is given, according to the 

most recent information available, and also 

the maximum area known since occupancy of 

the land by white man, the area the lakes 

might conceivably reach again as the result 

of a succession of wet years. Only those 

lakes are listed, however, that are known to 

have exceeded 10 square miles in surface 

area.

In addition to the closed lakes, there are a 

number of saline lakes near the Gulf of Mexico that are at sea level, and are subject to 

tidal fluctuation through channels connecting 

them with the Gulf. The five largest of these 

are in Louisiana and Texas; they are listed 

in table 5.

M. Laird, written communication, 1965.

Table 5. Principal saline lakes

Lake Present area 

(square miles) Remarks

California: 

Salton Sea. 

Owens ___.

Mono ________..__.

Goose (in California 

and Oregon).

Eagle.

350

Dry at times each year 

since 1943.

76 

About 100

41

About 650 sq mi at highest stage in 1905 07.

110 sq mi in 1872, prior to diversions from Owens 

River; 35 sq mi in 1943.

Maximum, 89 sq mi in 1919.

Maximum, 186 sq mi, 125 in California and 61 in 

Oregon; overflowed into Pitt River in 1869 and 

1881; dry in 1930; 150 sq mi in 1958.

Some question as to whether Eagle Lake should be 

considered saline or fresh water. It has no surface outlet (Martin, 1962), but since 1924 it has 

been tapped by tunnel to Willow Creek. Salinity is 

considerable less than 1,000 ppm, according to 

California Dept. of Water Resources. During 

period 1895 1925 lake rose to highest level since 

at least 1650 (Harding, 1935); rise believed due to 

closing of subterranean outlet by earthquake in 

1890 (Antevs, 1938).
16 PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES

Toole 5. Principal saline lakes Continued

Lake Present area 

(square miles)

Remarks

California Continued: 

Honey_ ____________

Louisiana: 

Pontchartrain.

Sabine (Louisiana 

and Texas) _____

Calcasieu _______

Maurepas _______

Salvador ________

Nevada: 

Pyramid ________

Walker. ____, 

Winnemucca,

Dry

625

95

90

90

70

180

107 

Dry

Carson.

Carson Sink

Nearly dry

Dry

Ruby.

Franklin

North Dakota: 

Devils ______

Oregon: 

Malheur and 

Harney____.

24

Probably dry

90 sq mi in 1867, possibly higher in 1890; dry in 

1903; high in 1904; dry in 1924. Contained some 

water April 1958 to September 1960, and early in 

1962.

These lakes are connected with the Gulf of Mexico, 

and are subject to tidal fluctuation.

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do.

Maximum size, 220 sq mi. Low until 1860; reached 

extreme high level in 1862 and 1868 or 1869; 

nearly as high in 1890; began to drop in 1917 

(Hardman and Venstrom, 1941).

Maximum size, 125 sq mi.

Maximum size, 180 sq mi. Dry in 1840, but began 

to fill shortly thereafter (Zones, 1961). According 

to Russell (1885) the lake rose more than 50 ft 

and approximately doubled its area between 1867 

and 1882. Was 87 ft deep in 1882. Dry since 

1945.

Maximum size, 41 sq mi. A few water-filled pot 

holes remain. Once called South Carson Lake; 

received flow of Carson River before Lahontan 

Reservoir was built.

A shallow playa some 250 square miles in area 

shown on some maps as a body of water. Russell 

(1885) called it North Carson Lake. Dry in 1882, 

but probably has had some water at times since. 

Once received water from both Carson and Humboldt Rivers.

Maximum size, 37 sq mi. Shown as swamp on recent maps of Army Map Service and Nevada Dept. 

of Highways.

Maximum size, 32 sq mi. Shown as swamp on recent maps of the Army Map Service and Nevada 

Dept. of Highways.

140 sq mi in 1867; 70 sq mi in 1883; 45 sq mi in 

1900; 10 sq mi in 1940. Since 1940 lake has been 

rising.

Malheur, the larger of the two lakes, overflows into Harney, which has no outlet. Maximum combined size, 125 sq mi. Reported dry in 1931; high 

in late 1950's; about 1 sq mi in 1961, and expected to go dry in 1962.
ARTIFICIAL RESERVOIRS 17

Table 5. Principal saline lakes Continued

Lakes Present area 

(square miles)

Remarks

Oregon Continued: 

Goose (see

California). _____ 

Abert ___________

Summer 

Silver _ _

Warner.

52

Probably dry 

Dry

Probably less than 10

Utah: 

Great Salt..

Sevier.

About 1,000

Dry

Maximum size, 60 sq mi. Dry in 1930 or thereabouts, but fairly high in 1958.

Maximum size, 70 sq mi. Nearly dry in 1961.

Maximum size, 15 sq mi. Dry in 1961. Because of 

the transient nature of the lake, the water whenever there is any is relatively fresh; hay is 

raised on the dry lake bed.

A series of shallow lakes; combined area about 

30 sq mi in 1953, a wet year, estimated from 

Army Map Service map based on aerial photographs taken in 1953. Present lakes are all that 

is left of Pleistocene Warner Lake, which covered 

about 300 sq mi and was about 270 ft deep.

Maximum size since 1851, 2,400 sq mi in 1870's;

minimum, 950 sq mi in October 1961; seasonal

high in 1962 was 1,050 sq mi in June. 

Maximum size, 125 sq mi; has been dry for several

years.

Comparatively few in number, saline lakes 

have a small utilitarian value compared with 

freshwater lakes, but they merit mention.

Several saline lakes in the Great Basin are 

potential sources of sodium bicarbonate, borax, and common salt. Production of salt 

from saline lakes in Utah alone has ranged 

in value from $60,000 in 1880 to more than 

$2 million in 1959 (Mahoney, 1961), totaling 

some $30 million.

Some of the saline lakes serve as resting 

and feeding areas for migratory waterfowl, 8 

as do, of course, many fresh-water lakes. 

Abert Lake and Great Salt Lake are sources 

of brine shrimp, which are removed commercially and processed, and sold for fish 

food.

In recreational value, the saline lakes are 

completely overshadowed by fresh-water

lakes, but some of them have attractions to 

offer. For example, Eagle Lake in California is coming into favor with boating enthusiasts. Only mildly saline, it supports one 

specie of game fish (Martin, 1962). Great 

Salt Lake has long been a tourist attraction, 

partly because of the ease with which a person can float in the dense, salty water.

ARTIFICIAL RESERVOIRS

There are important distinctions between 

artificial reservoirs and natural lakes, although many reservoirs have the outward appearances of natural lakes. For one thing, 

reservoirs are so constructed that they contain very little dead storage; most of the water is above the level of the lowest outlet and 

can be released, if need be. On the other 

hand, almost all the water in natural lakes is 

dead storage, or below the level of the natural outlet.

8Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is adjacent to Malheur and 

Harney Lakes, and Bear River National 'Wildlife Refuge is adjacent to Great Salt Lake.
18 PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES

Another difference between artificial reservoirs and natural lakes is that, as compared with their total contents, reservoirs 

generally have larger inflow than lakes. Or, 

to state this another way, as compared with 

their inflow, natural lakes generally have a 

greater capacity than reservoirs. The 1,300 

reservoirs listed by Thomas and Harbeck 

(1956) have a total usable capacity of some 

80 cubic miles, although not all these reservoirs are full at the same time. At any one 

time, these reservoirs probably contain about 

the same amount of water as the eight deep 

lakes in the conterminous United States referred to on page 11. But whereas even the 

largest of these reservoirs would, if completely emptied, refill in 2 years or so, some 

of these deep lakes would require many years. 

Chelan, Sebago, and Seneca Lakes would, if 

completely emptied, require some 10 years 

or thereabouts to refill; Lake Tahoe might 

require as much as 300 years. (Lake Superior, not one of the eight lakes referred to, 

would require on the order of 150 years.)

Half of the States have no natural lakes as 

large as 10 square miles in area, but more 

than three-fourths of the States have reservoirs of that size, or larger. As a matter of 

interest, the largest reservoir of 10 square 

miles or more in each State is listed at the 

end of this section (table 6).

Reservoirs are most commonly ranked in 

size according to their usable contents, the 

amount of water than can be stored above the 

lowest outlet. In this section, however, surface area is given as a measure of size in 

order to be comparable with the ranking of 

natural lakes.

In terms of surface area, the largest reservoir is Garrison in North Dakota, with 

Oahe in South Dakota both on the Missouri 

River a close second. Because of its much 

greater depth, Lake Mead on the Colorado 

River in Arizona-Nevada can store half again

as much water as either Garrison or Oahe, 

although the surface area of Lake Mead is 

less than half of that of either of the other 

two.

Change in contents of a reservoir is accompanied by a corresponding change in surface area. Because the contents of most 

reservoirs are subject to rather large seasonal changes, the areas shown in table 6 

are the areas at some specified level, such 

as the maximum waterline, although the water level in the reservoir may seldom be 

that high.

Many large reservoirs are built to serve 

more than one purpose. If flood-control is 

one of the purposes, the space allotted to it 

is at the top of the reservoir above some 

specified level, so that the allotted space 

the flood-control pool can, if deemed advisable, be kept available for storing floodwater. After a flood has passed, the floodwater stored can be released gradually and 

the space again made available. Below the 

level of the flood-control pool are other allotted spaces the power pool, the conservation pool, etc. The operation of such a 

reservoir depends upon the purpose it serves 

and the priorities assigned to each, and to 

the flood potential of the area that drains into the reservoir. The prevailing level of a 

multiple-purpose reservoir may be at or below the bottom of the flood-control pool, even 

though the area given in table 6 may be the 

area at the maximum waterline.

Regulated natural lakes are not shown in 

table 6, only artificial reservoirs. Regulated natural lakes, if more than 10 square 

miles in area, are shown in table 2. Furthermore, only reservoirs of 10 square miles 

or more are shown in table 6. Hence, there 

are no entries in this table for Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, 

Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, 

Rhode Island, and Vermont.
ARTIFICIAL RESERVOIRS 19

Table 6. Largest artificial reservoirs of 10 square miles or more in each State

State

Alabama. ________

Arizona _________

Arkansas _____ _ _

California _______

Colorado ________

Florida. _____ __

Georgia _________

Idaho. ___________

Illinois __________

Iowa ____________

Kansas __________

Kentucky ___ _ ___

Louis iana_ _ ______

Maryland ___ _ _ _

Massachusetts __

Michigan ________

Mississippi ______;

Missouri ___ _ ___

Montana __ ______

Nebraska ________

Nevada __________

New Mexico

New York. _______

North Carolina _ _

North Dakota_____

Ohio ____________

Oklahoma. _______

Oregon __________

Pennsylvania.

South Carolina _ _

South Dakota _

Tennessee ____ _ _

Texas ___________

Utah __ _________

Virginia _________

Washington _

West Virginia ____

Wisconsin _______

Wyoming ________

Reservoir and stream

Guntersville (Tennessee River)____________________________

Lake Mead (Colorado River) 1 _____________________________

Bull Shoals (White River) _________________________________

Shasta (Sacramento River) ________________________________

John Martin (Arkansas River) _____________________________

Conservation area No. 1, (Everglades) _____________________

Clark Hill (Savannah River) 2 . ______ ______ __ ________

American Falls (Snake River) __ _ _____________________

Crab Orchard (Crab Orchard Creek)?. _ _____ _ _ _ _ _ ___ ___

Coralville (Iowa River) 3 _____ _ ____________________

Tuttle Creek (Big Blue River) _____ _______ __ ____ __

Kentucky (Tennessee River)____ ______ _ __________________

Bayou Bodcau (Bayou Bodcau) ___________ _ _ ______________

Conowingo (Susquehanna River)______________ _ _________ _ _

Quabbin (Swift River)______ ____________________ _ ________

Fletcher Pond, Upper South Branch (Thunder Bay River) ___ _

Grenada (Yalobusha River)______________ _ ________________

Lakes of the Ozarks (Bagnall), (Osage River) ___ _ __ _ __ ___

Fort Peck (Missouri River) __ _ ___________________________

McConaughy (Kingsley), (North Platte River) _ ____ __ ____ ___

Lake Mead (Colorado River)4______ _ _______ _ _____________

Elephant Butte (Rio Grande)________________ _ _____________

Sacandaga (Sacandaga River) ______________________________

High Rock (Yadkin River) __ _______ _____ ___ ___

Garrison (Missouri River) ______________________ _ ________

St. Marys (Grand), (Beaver and Jennings Creeks) _ _ ___ __ _

Lake Texoma (Denison), (Red River) 5 ______________________

McNary (Columbia River) 6 _ _ ___ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _

Pymatuning (Shenango River)_______________ _ ____ _ _______

Lake Marion (Santee River) _______ _ __ _ __ _ ____ _ ________

Oahe (Missouri River)_______ _ ___________________________

Pickwick Landing (Tennessee River) _____ _ ________________

Lake Texoma (Denison), (Red River) 7 ________ _ _____ _ _____

Sevier Bridge (Sevier River) 8 _ ____ _ ___________ _ _ ______

John H. Kerr (Roanoke River) ___________ _ ________________

Franklin D. Roosevelt (Grand Coulee), (Columbia River) _ __ _

Blue Stone (New River) ____ ___ _ _ _ __ __ __ __ ____ _ _ _ _

Petenwell (Wisconsin River) ____ _ ___ _ ___________________

Boysen (Big Horn River)__ ___ _ __ ___ ___ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _

Surface area 

(sq mi)

110

229

111

46

29

216

123

88

11

39

83

407

33

13

39

13

101

93

382

50

229

57

42

24

610

21

223

59

26

172

587

73

223

17

149

130

14

36

35

1 Arizona and Nevada. The largest reservoir wholly within Arizona is San Carlos (Coolidge) Reservoir on the Gila 

River, surface area, 31 sq mi.

2 Georgia and South Carolina. The largest reservoir wholly within Georgia is Buford Reservoir (Lake Sidney Lanier) 

on Chattahoochee River, surface area, 59 sq mi.

3 Keokuk Lock and Dam No. 19 on the Mississippi River, common to Illinois and Iowa, has a surface area of 

44 sq mi.

4 Nevada and Arizona. The largest reservoir wholly within Nevada is Rye Patch Reservoir on the Humboldt River, 

surface area, 17 sq mi.

5 Oklahoma and Texas. Eufaula Reservoir under construction on the Canadian River, and wholly within Oklahoma, 

may have a surface area as large as that of Lake Texoma, or slightly larger.

6 Oregon and Washington. The largest reservoir wholly within Oregon is Owyhee Reservoir on Owyhee River, surface 

area, 20 sq mi.

'Texas and Oklahoma. McGhee Bend Reservoir under construction on Angelina River and wholly within Texas, may 

have a larger surface area than Lake Texoma.

8 Lake Powell under construction on the Colorado River (dam is in Arizona, but most of reservoir is in Utah) will have 

a surface area of 25t) sq mi.
20 PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES

Artificial reservoirs serve many purposes, 

such as water supply, irrigation, flood control, and power generation. They are indispensable to our national economy and to our 

standard of living. Many reservoirs are open 

to the general public for recreational purposes, and thus offer the advantages of natural 

lakes. At two reservoirs mentioned in this 

report, Lake Mead (fig. 5) and Franklin D. 

Roosevelt Lake, the National Park Service 

administers recreational areas.

An outstanding example of the use of reservoirs for recreational purposes are the

reservoirs of the Tennessee Valley Authority. On their shores are 13 State parks and 

60 city and county parks, 330 commercially 

operated fishing camps, boat docks, and resorts, 40 camps operated by Boy and Girl 

Scouts, YWCA and YMCA, church and educational groups, and 50 private clubs. About 

7,000 persons have acquired lakefront lots 

on which they have built vacation homes (L. 

B. Leopold and H. B. Kinnison, written communication, 1962).

Figure 5. Lake Mead at National Recreation Area. Scene is at Boulder Beach marina. Photograph by National Park Service.
PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES 21

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22 PRINCIPAL LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES

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tr V. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1970 O - 387-618