There are at least 3,223 named
lakes and
reservoirs in
Montana. The following list contains lists of lakes and reservoirs in Montana by county.
A lake is a
terrain feature (or
physical feature), a body of
liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the bottom of
basin (another type of landform or terrain feature; that is not global). Another definition is a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size that is surrounded by land. On Earth a body of water is considered a lake when it is inland, not part of the
ocean, is larger and deeper than a
pond.[1][2]
A reservoir (etymology from
Frenchréservoir a "storehouse [3]) is an artificial
lake used to store
water. Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a
dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such a brickwork or cast concrete. Swimming, fishing, and/or boating are permitted in some of these lakes, but not all.
^Britannica online.
"Lake (physical feature)". Retrieved 2008-06-25. any relatively large body of slowly moving or standing water that occupies an inland basin of appreciable size. Definitions that precisely distinguish lakes, ponds, swamps, and even rivers and other bodies of nonoceanic water are not well established. It may be said, however, that rivers and streams are relatively fast moving; marshes and swamps contain relatively large quantities of grasses, trees or shrubs; and ponds are relatively small in comparison to lakes. Geologically defined, lakes are temporary bodies of water.
^"Dictionary.com definition". Retrieved 2008-06-25. a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size, surrounded by land.