Saudi Water Desalination Output 
Exceeded One Billion Cubic Meters in 2002 

Mena Report 30mar03

Saudi Arabia's water desalination output exceeded one billion cubic meters in 2002, reported the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC). Currently, 70 percent of the Kingdom’s drinking needs are provided through desalination, generating 3,600 megawatts of electric power.

SWCC confirmed these figures at the inauguration of the Shuaiba Phase Two project. Shuaiba is the second largest desalination plant in the Kingdom, supplying 154 million gallons of water and 500 megawatts of electricity. The second phase will double the quantity of water supplied by the plant to Makkah, and Taif, and will increase the supply to Jeddah by 60 percent.

Saudi Arabia is the largest desalinated water producer in the world, contributing to 30 percent of global production, according to official statistics. Desalinized seawater currently constitutes Saudi Arabia’s chief source for drinking water. The Saudi government transports its desalinated water via a 2,500 kilometer pipeline network, 21 pumping stations, 131 depots and 10 stations for mixing the desalinated water with underground water.

source: http://www.menareport.com/story/printArticle.php3?sid=245582&lang=e 10apr03

1 billion cubic meters = 1.307 billion cubic yards = 35.289 billion cubic feet = 263.96 billion gallons = 263,961,720,000,000 gallons

Acre-foot--the volume of water that would cover an acre one foot deep
1 acre = 43,560 square feet
1 acre-foot = 43,560 cubic feet = 1234.2 cubic meters
1 acre-foot = 325,851 gallons 
1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet = 0.765 cubic meter
1 cubic meter = 1.307 cubic yards
1 cubic foot per second = 449 gallons per minutes
1 cubic foot = 7.48 gallons

Volume Conversion Factors

Multiply		By		To Obtain
U.S. gallons		231		Cubic inches			
			3.78543		Liters
			0.13368		Cubic feet 
			0.00000307	Acre-feet 
Cubic inches		16.3872		Cubic centimeters 
			0.004329	U.S. gallons 
			0.0005787	Cubic feet 

According to the Marin, California Water District, an acre-foot covers about one football field to a depth of one foot. One acre-foot can supply three families with water for one year.