There are more than 3,000 named
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
s,
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
s, and
dry lakes in the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
state of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
Largest lakes
![Lake Tahoe NV](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Lake_Tahoe_NV.jpg)
In terms of area covered, the largest lake in California is the
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough that stretches to the Gulf ...
, a lake formed in 1905 which is now saline. It occupies in the southeast corner of the state, but because it is shallow it only holds about of water.
Tulare Lake
Tulare Lake () ( Spanish: ''Laguna de Tache'', Yokuts: ''Pah-áh-su'') is a freshwater dry lake with residual wetlands and marshes in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California, United States. After Lake Cahuilla disappeared in the 17th century ...
in the
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven ...
was larger, at approximately , until it was drained during the later years of the nineteenth century.
In terms of volume, the largest lake on the list is
Lake Tahoe, located on the California–Nevada border. It holds roughly of water. It is also the largest freshwater lake by area, at , and the deepest lake, with a maximum depth of .
Among freshwater lakes entirely contained within the state, the largest by area is
Clear Lake, which covers .
Many of California's large lakes are actually reservoirs: artificial bodies of fresh water. In terms of both area and volume, the largest of these is
Lake Shasta, which formed behind
Shasta Dam
Shasta Dam (called Kennett Dam before its construction) is a concrete arch-gravity dam across the Sacramento River in Northern California in the United States. At high, it is the List of tallest dams in the United States, eighth-tallest dam in ...
in the 1940s. The dam can impound of water over .
Lake Elsinore
Lake Elsinore is a natural freshwater lake in Riverside County, California, located east of the Santa Ana Mountains and fed by the San Jacinto River. Originally named ''Laguna Grande'' by Spanish explorers, it was renamed for the town of Elsino ...
, which covers , is billed as the largest natural freshwater lake in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...
.
List
The list is alphabetized by the name of the lake, with the words ''lake'', ''of'', and ''the'' ignored. To sort on a different column, click on the arrows in the header row.
Geographic coordinates, approximate elevations, alternative names, and other details may be obtained by following the
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...
links in the third column.
Note: Lakes grow and shrink due to
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
,
evaporation, releases, and diversions.
For this reason, many of the surface areas tabulated below are very approximate.
For reservoirs, the areas at maximum water storage are indicated. Reservoirs used for
flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
are seldom allowed to reach maximum storage.
See also
*
Geography of California
*
List of dams and reservoirs in California
*
List of lakes in Lake County, California
This an alphabetical list of lakes in Lake County, California includes lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Numbers in parentheses are Geographic Names Information System feature ids.
* Adobe Reservoir ()
* Amel Lake ()
* Blue Lakes ()
* Blue Slid ...
*
List of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area
This list of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area groups lakes, ponds, and reservoirs by county. Numbers in parentheses are Geographic Names Information System feature ids.
Alameda County
* Almond Reservoir ()
* Berryman Reservoir ()
* Bethany ...
*
List of lakes in the United States
This is a list of lakes (including reservoirs) in the United States, grouped by state.
By state
Alabama
* Edgewood Lake
Alaska
* Agiak Lagoon
* Nelson Lake
Arizona
Arkansas
California
* Beck Lakes
* Kinman Pond
* Sina ...
*
List of largest reservoirs of California
This is a list of the largest reservoirs, or man-made lakes, in the U.S. state of California. All fifty-three reservoirs that contain over of water at maximum capacity are listed. This includes those formed by raising the level of natural lakes ...
*
List of rivers of California
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of California, grouped by region. Major lakes and reservoirs, if applicable, are indicated in italics.
North Coast (north of Humboldt Bay)
Rivers and streams between the Oregon border and Humboldt Bay th ...
*
Water in California
California's interconnected water system serves over 30 million people and irrigates over of farmland. As the world's largest, most productive, and potentially most controversial water system, it manages over of water per year.
Water and wate ...
References
External links
*
Alphabetical Index of California Reservoirs
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Lakes In California
*
*
Lakes
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...