acre-foot

American  

[ey-ker-foot] / ˈeɪ kərˈfʊt /

noun

1. a unit of volume of water in irrigation: the amount covering one acre to a depth of one foot, equal to 43,560 cubic feet.

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acre-foot British  

noun

1. the volume of water that would cover an area of 1 acre to a depth of 1 foot: equivalent to 43 560 cubic feet or 1233.5 cubic metres

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Etymology

Origin of acre-foot

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

Jennings, who heads the state cloud-seeding program, estimates it produces an acre-foot of water, or about 325,000 gallons, for $30, compared with more than $1,000 to produce the same amount with recycling or desalination.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Under the legal settlement, the Water Authority will now pay a fixed price to MWD for delivering these supplies, starting at $671 per acre-foot in 2026, with annual adjustments for inflation.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2025

The legislation increases fines for violations of state water curtailment to as much as $10,000 per day, plus $2,500 for each acre-foot of water diverted.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2024

An acre-foot is roughly enough to serve two to three U.S. households annually.

From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024

After they have bought the water rights then they must pay for every acre-foot they use.

From The Winning of Barbara Worth by Wright, Harold Bell