Perry: AI data centers boosting water infrastructure in West Texas towns
State Sen. Charles Perry highlighted that AI data centers are providing significant water infrastructure improvements to West Texas towns like Childress and Turkey. He asserted that data centers are water-efficient and often become "water contributors" to communities. Perry cited specific data center projects funding new water systems in these towns, emphasizing their positive impact on local water supplies.
State Sen. Charles Perry has stated that AI data centers are significantly contributing to water infrastructure in West Texas, contrary to common concerns about their water consumption. According to Perry, two towns in his district, Childress and Turkey, are receiving new water infrastructure funded by data center developers.
Perry explained that the entire AI data center community in Texas is projected to use around 4,000 acre-feet of water annually, a fraction of the state's 17 million acre-feet total. He emphasized that these facilities are designed with high capital investment for water efficiency, aiming for a near zero-sum game in water usage, with many becoming "water contributors."
As an example, Perry cited a data center in Childress, Texas, which will use 25,000 gallons of water daily within five years. In return, the developer is funding a 975,000-gallon contribution to the town's water supply, including a million-gallon-a-day brackish desal well system that the community could not have afforded. He also mentioned Turkey, Texas, where a data center project is leading to a new water tower, new water and pipe infrastructure, and two new wells, effectively solving critical water problems for these communities.