Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that can help answer the question.
Query: What is the largest lake in California?
In terms of area covered, the largest lake in California is the Salton Sea, a lake formed in 1905 which is now saline. It occupies 376 square miles (970km2) in the southeast corner of the state, but because it is shallow it only holds about 7.5millionacre⋅ft (2.4trillionUSgal; 9.3trillionl) of water.[2] Tulare Lake in the San Joaquin Valley was larger, at approximately 690sqmi (1,800km2), until it was drained during the later years of the nineteenth century.
Lake Oroville is a reservoir formed by the Oroville Dam impounding the Feather River, located in Butte County, northern California. The lake is situated northeast of the city of Oroville, within the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Known as the second-largest reservoir in California, Lake Oroville is treated as a keystone facility within the California State Water Project by storing water, providing flood control, recreation, freshwater releases assist in controlling the salinity intrusion Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and protecting fish and wildlife.
Lake Elsinore, which covers 3,000 acres (4.7sqmi; 12km2), is billed as the largest natural freshwater lake in Southern California.[5]
Lake Tecopa occupied the Tecopa Valley, a pear-shaped valley east of southern Death Valley, in Inyo County, California. The cities of Barstow, California and Las Vegas, Nevada lie close to the lake basin. The lake itself had a roughly triangular shape with a northern, a southwestern and a southeastern corner, and ad its highstand it covered a surface of about . Outcrops of lake sediments occupy a length of along the Amargosa River and are wide at their broadest. Its southern margin is not clear, given that the height of the sill to the China Ranch basin is undetermined. Several islands existed in Lake Tecopa; among these are the largest, close to Tecopa, California, and two smaller ones north of Shoshone, California. The shores of the lake featured marshes and deltas where Amargosa River or spring water entered the lake, as well as freshwater ponds where springs and streams flowed into Lake Tecopa.
Alkali Lake, Lake County, Oregon Baldwin Lake, San Bernardino County, California Mono Lake, near Owens Valley in California Redberry Lake, Saskatchewan Summer Lake, Lake County, Oregon Tramping Lake, Saskatchewan Lake Magadi in Kenya Lake Turkana in Kenya (the largest alkali lake in the world) There are also alkali lakes in the outback of Australia. Bear Lake[6] on the Utah–Idaho border
Half of the area contained within the boundaries of Clear Lake AVA is Clear Lake, the largest body of freshwater in the state of California, and the namesake for the county. The moderating influence of the lake on the surrounding area results in a climate with less diurnal variation in temperature than surrounding areas. Clear Lake AVA is one of the coolest climates in California, which has led to success with grape varietals like Sauvignon blanc.
This is a list of the largest reservoirs, or man-made lakes, in the U.S. state of California. All thirty-six reservoirs that contain over of water at maximum capacity are listed. This includes those formed by raising the level of natural lakes, such as at Lake Tahoe. Most large reservoirs in California are owned by the federal Bureau of Reclamation and to a lesser extent the Army Corps of Engineers, many serving the Central Valley Project or State Water Project. Smaller ones are often run by county water agencies or irrigation and flood control districts.
The tule elk is one of the largest land mammals native to California, with cows weighing up to 350 pounds, and the largest bulls weighing roughly 500 pounds. Hunted to near extinction during the California Gold Rush era, the animals were reintroduced to the Lake Pillsbury Basin in the late 1970s by the California Department of Fish and Game, and the herd has steadily grown, numbering around 80 in 2007.
Lake Tahoe (; Washo: dáʔaw) is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America, and at trails only the five Great Lakes as the largest by volume in the United States. Its depth is , making it the second deepest in the United States after Crater Lake in Oregon ().
The MWD maintains three major water reservoirs. One is Lake Mathews located in southwest Riverside, California, with a capacity of of water. Another is Lake Skinner located south of Hemet in Riverside County, its capacity is of water. Diamond Valley Lake is their third and newest reservoir, with a capacity of of water. This capacity is over twice as large as that of Castaic Lake, the next largest reservoir in Southern California maintained by the state Department of Water Resources.
Planning for the lake began in 1987. The main goal was to meet Southern California seasonal, drought and emergency needs. MWD chose the current site because of its geographic location, and began construction planning in 1993. Construction of the lake in 1995 with construction of the three dams. With over 40 million cubic yards of foundation excavation and 110 million cubic yards of embankment construction, the construction of the dams was the largest earthworks project in the United States. The shovels, loaders and trucks used on the project were the largest available and established a new standard for earth and rock movement. The two rock processing plants established for the project provided combined production exceeding the capability of any single commercial processing operation in California. Construction of the lake was the largest construction project by the MWD since building the Colorado River Aqueduct.
Trinity Lake, previously called Clair Engle Lake, is an artificial lake on the Trinity River formed by the Trinity Dam and located in Trinity County, California, United States. The dam was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The lake's capacity is , making it one of the largest reservoirs in California. The lake's surface is at above MSL. Trinity Lake captures and stores water for the Central Valley Project, which provides the Central Valley with water for irrigation and produces hydroelectric power. This lake is known for its many small arms, glassy inlets, and great water-skiing conditions.
Clear Lake is a natural freshwater lake in Lake County in the U.S. state of California, north of Napa County and San Francisco. It is the largest natural freshwater lake wholly within the state, with of surface area. At 480,000 years, it is the oldest lake in North America. It is the latest lake to occupy a site with a history of lakes stretching back at least 2,500,000 years. 
The Upper Truckee River is a stream that flows northward from the western slope of Red Lake Peak in Alpine County, California to Lake Tahoe via the Truckee Marsh in South Lake Tahoe, California. The river flows northeasterly and is long. It is Lake Tahoe's largest tributary.
One roadless area of borders on the northwest and contains the largest glacial cirque, Castle Lake, which is near where the Modoc War's 1855 Battle of Castle Crags took place. Now a historical landmark (California Historical Landmark No.16), the battle was fought on a ridge saddle between the lake and what is known as Battle Rock.
Prior to its inundation, the valley was an agricultural region, whose soils were considered among the finest in the country. The main town in the valley, Monticello, was abandoned in order to construct the reservoir. This abandonment was chronicled by the photographers Dorothea Lange and Pirkle Jones in their book "Death of a Valley". Construction of Monticello Dam began in 1953, completed in 1958, and the reservoir filled by 1963, creating what at the time was the second-largest reservoir in California after Shasta Lake. The Monticello Dam with Lake Berryessa, Putah Diversion Dam with Lake Solano, and associated water distribution systems and lands are known collectively as the Solano Project, which is distinct from other water projects in California such as the Central Valley Project.
Geography of California List of dams and reservoirs in California List of lakes in Lake County, California List of lakes in the San Francisco Bay Area List of lakes in the United States List of largest reservoirs of California List of rivers of California Water in California
The Clear Lake AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Lake County, California. 
Half of the area contained within the boundaries of the AVA is Clear Lake, the largest body of freshwater in the state of California, and the namesake for the county. The moderating influence of the lake on the surrounding area results in a climate with less diurnal variation in temperature than surrounding areas. Clear Lake AVA is one of the coolest climates in California, which has led to success with grape varietals like Sauvignon blanc.
The Shasta–Trinity National Forest is a federally designated forest in northern California, USA. It is the largest National Forest in California and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The 2,210,485 acre (894,552 Ha) forest encompasses five wilderness areas, hundreds of mountain lakes and of streams and rivers. Major features include Shasta Lake, the largest man-made lake in California and Mount Shasta, elevation .
Approximately two-thirds of the shoreline is in California. The south shore is dominated by the lake's largest city, South Lake Tahoe, California, which adjoins the town of Stateline, Nevada, while Tahoe City, California, is located on the lake's northwest shore. Although highways run within sight of the lake shore for much of Tahoe's perimeter, many important parts of the shoreline lie within state parks or are protected by the United States Forest Service. The Lake Tahoe Watershed (USGS Huc 18100200) of includes the land area that drains to the lake and the Lake Tahoe drainage divide traverses the same general area as the Tahoe Rim Trail.
In terms of volume, the largest lake on the list is Lake Tahoe, located on the California–Nevada border. It holds roughly 36 cubic miles (150km3) of water. It is also the largest freshwater lake by area, at 191sqmi (490km2), and the deepest lake, with a maximum depth of 1,645 feet (501m).
In terms of volume, the largest lake in California is Lake Tahoe, located on the California–Nevada border. The area in and around Lake Tahoe is filled with a huge diversity of animals and plants. Many mammals call the Lake Tahoe area home. Included among these are the yellow-bellied marmot, the Douglas squirrel or chickaree, golden-mantled ground squirrel, American martin, mule deer, black bear, coyote, raccoon, beaver, and porcupine. 
Another visited site by tourists and local North Shore residents is the Salton Sea. What makes the Salton Sea a remarkable attraction is mostly due to the fact that (1) it is the largest California lake and (2) because it is located in the San Andreas Fault. This site attracts mostly geologists or environmentalists that seek research and other studies about the geology or pollution of the lake.
To the east of the Sierra Nevada are Owens Valley and Mono Lake, an essential migratory bird habitat. In the western part of the state is Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake by area entirely in California. Although Lake Tahoe is larger, it is divided by the California/Nevada border. The Sierra Nevada falls to Arctic temperatures in winter and has several dozen small glaciers, including Palisade Glacier, the southernmost glacier in the United States.
Upper Klamath Lake is the largest present-day body of water in the Klamath River watershed, covering on average, with a shoreline of . It is also the largest freshwater lake in the state of Oregon. Historically, Lower Klamath Lake and Tule Lake were one interconnected freshwater marsh that totaled - more than twice the present-day dimensions of Upper Klamath Lake, and larger than Lake Tahoe in central California. This interconnected wetland still supports up to 3.7 million migrating birds per year. In wet years, the two lakes would connect to Upper Klamath Lake, forming one huge body of water. These lakes occupy the basin that was prehistorically occupied by Lake Modoc, a freshwater lake that covered the entire Upper Klamath Basin, or 7% of the watershed - an area three times larger than the massive Salton Sea in southern California. This lake existed up to 11,000 years ago at the end of the most recent ice age. Today, Upper Klamath Lake encompasses just 0.6% of the Klamath watershed.