Which reservoir is the largest body of freshwater in Newfoundland and Labrador?

Smallwood Reservoir is the largest body of freshwater in Newfoundland and Labrador, covering about 6,527 square kilometres.

The reservoir lies in western Labrador and was created for the Churchill Falls Generating Station. Unlike a conventional lake held behind one enormous dam, it is contained by a network of 88 dikes totaling about 64 kilometres. The project harnessed the Churchill River and transformed a broad plateau dotted with bogs and interconnected lakes into a vast hydroelectric storage system.

Construction began in the 1960s, with the power development completed in 1974. The reservoir is named for Joey Smallwood, Newfoundland’s first premier. Its water volume is about 32.64 cubic kilometres, and its surface area makes it the fifth-largest reservoir in the world by that measure.

Lake Melville is a common source of confusion because it is also very large, but it is a tidal body of water rather than a freshwater lake. Grand Lake, on the island of Newfoundland, is much smaller. Smallwood’s size reflects Labrador’s expansive geography and the scale of its hydroelectric infrastructure.