Dark Waters: The Deepest Lake in Each American State
According to the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), part of the United Nations, only 17 out of the 195 countries in the world are considered "megadiverse." That means they have a huge variety of living things, especially plants and animals that are found only in those places. To be called megadiverse, a country must have at least 5,000 types of plants that grow only there, have many unique animals, and include ocean ecosystems within its borders. This kind of diversity is important for keeping the planet healthy.
Even though these 17 countries cover just 10% of Earth's surface, they are home to over 70% of all species on the planet. The megadiverse countries are: Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, the United States, and Venezuela.
The United States ranks 10th on the list. It has a wide range of freshwater and ocean environments, with more than three million lakes—most of them in Alaska. These lakes come in all sizes and types, including both saltwater and freshwater. Almost every state has at least one natural lake, though many have more. Still, nearly half of all lakes in the U.S. (48%) are actually man-made, according to a 2012 report from the National Lake Assessment.
U.S. Lakes
The U.S. features tens of thousands of square miles of water area, which is key in its megadiverse designation. The nation's water environments range from the ocean depths to raging rivers to inland lakes. The United States is estimated to have the third-most lakes of any country in the world, trailing only Canada and Russia.
While the exact number of lakes is hard to ascertain, discovering its depths can be done with verifiable numbers.Here is a look at the deepest lake in each U.S. state. (If you want to see which lakes are drying up, here is a list of famous lakes in danger of drying up, one of which is included in the list below.)
Determining the Deepest U.S. Lakes
To determine each state's deepest lake, 24/7 Wall St. consulted various sources such as state government and geological survey websites.The Great Lakes were not included in this survey. These five lakes are massive natural wonders that touch eight U.S. states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York).
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the maximum depths of the Great Lakes are:
- Lake Superior – 1,332 feet (406 meters)
- Lake Michigan – 925 feet (282 meters)
- Lake Ontario – 802 feet (244 meters)
- Lake Huron – 750 feet (229 meters)
- Lake Erie – 210 feet (64 meters)
These lakes account for 21% of the world's freshwater and are the deepest lakes in any state they touch. For example, Lake Superior is clearly the deepest lake in Minnesota. For our purposes, though, we excluded these lakes (which could be considered freshwater seas) and focused on the deepest inland lakes in each state.
Where Most Deep Lakes Are Found
The United States has lakes within the borders of all 50 states and while many of these are natural, a large portion are comprised of manmade reservoirs. Maryland is the only state that doesn't have natural lakes but has more than 100 manmade impoundments, all of which were created through damming rivers, most of which are named reservoirs.
At the opposite end is the state of Alaska which has the most natural lakes in the country. The Last Frontier state has nearly 3,200 named lakes and over three million unnamed lakes. It is also a state with more lakes with depths of over 300 feet, which is interesting because the nation's deepest lake is found in the northwestern part of the contiguous United States.
Depth Ranges
The deepest lake in each state showcases quite a range of depths, while the shallowest lake is just nine feet deep, less than the typical deep end of a swimming pool, which is ten feet deep. Compare that to the deepest lake in the U.S., which reaches 1,949 feet deep. The waters of this lake could completely cover One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the nation, with 173 feet to spare.
Here we have identified the deepest lake in each state.
