I'm not a farmer but I would guess it's serious. Land area is measured in acres, and the amount of water that crops need per growing cycle could be measured in

I'm not a farmer but I would guess it's serious. Land area is measured in acres, and the amount of water that crops need per growing cycle could be measured in feet, hence acre-feet. An acre-foot is the amount of water required to cover a one acre area in one foot of water, or about 1.2 million liters.