In the example, the appropriator may divert 1.0 c.f.s. One c.f.s. of water flow is equivalent to 449 gallons per minute. A storage water right is measured in terms of volume. For instance, the owner of a reservoir may have the right to store up to 1,000 acre feet of water each year, to be used at some later time for a beneficial use. Sometimes a limit is placed on the rate at which water can be stored, such as a right which allows for storage of 1,000 acre feet, to be stored at a rate no greater than 5.0 c.f.s.
Storage rights are usually only for one filling of the storage vessel per year.