The Largest Data Center In California Has Been Denied Water For Cooling — Now It's Suing A Public Agency
Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing is suing the Imperial Irrigation District in California after its request for water to cool a proposed 330 MW data center was denied. The company intended to reallocate water from agricultural plots, but the district cited concerns over the strained Colorado River supply. The community is actively opposing the project and advocating for a moratorium on new data center construction due to water scarcity concerns.
Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing has filed a lawsuit against the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) in California's Imperial Valley, following the district's denial of water access for cooling a planned 330 MW data center. The developer, led by Sebastian Rucci, intends to reallocate 287 million gallons of water from existing farmland rights for the project, which aims to be the state's largest data center.
The IID's decision stems from concerns over the Colorado River, a critical and threatened water source for 40 million people across seven states, and a vital supply for local agriculture. Rucci contends the data center's water impact would be equivalent to a 160-acre farm, but experts warn that reallocating water from farmland for industrial use could jeopardize rural communities. The lawsuit argues that the IID lacks a "rational basis" for preventing an industrial entity from combining water rights when agricultural users are permitted to do so.
Community members are actively opposing data center development in the area, largely due to high water consumption and its potential strain on the already drought-affected Colorado River, which supplies nearly 80% of California's water allocation to the Imperial Valley. Public sentiment strongly favors a strict moratorium on new data center construction. The case highlights broader concerns about the environmental impact of AI development and data center expansion on local resources.