The amount of land required for a desalination storage reservoir depends on the reservoir’s capacity, design, and whether it is open or covered. Large open reservoirs, which are common for municipal-scale desalination plants, can require several hectares for storing millions of liters of water. The footprint is influenced by depth, with shallower reservoirs needing more surface area to achieve the same volume.
Covered or underground reservoirs require less surface land, but construction costs are higher due to excavation, structural support, and materials. In urban or space-constrained areas, these designs allow efficient storage on smaller plots, sometimes integrated with existing facilities or built beneath buildings.
