Formal protests start to pour in for Stratos data center's second water rights change request
Hundreds of formal protests have been filed against a second water rights change application for the proposed Stratos data center in Salt Lake City. The application, filed by O'Leary Digital, seeks 11 square acre-feet of water, following a previous application that sought 1,900 acre-feet before being withdrawn. Environmental groups like Friends of Great Salt Lake are encouraging public opposition to all future water rights requests for the project.
Hundreds of formal protests have been submitted against a second water rights change application for the proposed Stratos data center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The application, filed on April 28 with the Utah Division of Water Rights, seeks 11 square acre-feet of water, prompting significant public pushback.
Rob Dubuc, general counsel for Friends of Great Salt Lake, expressed encouragement at the public's engagement. His organization is actively urging the public to protest each subsequent water rights request for the data center project. This follows an earlier application for 1,900 acre-feet of water, which garnered around 4,000 protests before being withdrawn by the developers.
Paul Palandjian, CEO of O'Leary Digital, the developer behind the Stratos data center, indicated to KSL that the company intends to refile for water rights with more specific information tailored to the project. However, Dubuc voiced frustration over the lack of substantive detail in the current application, describing it as a "cut-and-paste" of the previous one.
While the exact water requirements for the Stratos data center remain undisclosed, O'Leary Digital has stated it will use less water than what is currently consumed by farming and ranching on the same land. Friends of Great Salt Lake plans to continue monitoring and mobilizing public opposition against all future water rights applications to ensure public concerns are formally registered.