As Data Centers Boom, Wyomingites Want To Know Where The Water’s Coming From

Wyoming's Select Water Committee is delving into the escalating water demands of the state's burgeoning data center industry, prompting discussions on potential regulatory frameworks. Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins, who regularly engages with prospective data center companies, told the committee on Thursday that his city expects incoming firms to prioritize efficient water usage, specifically employing closed-loop cooling systems. Collins noted that Cheyenne's 13 existing data centers collectively use only 1.48% of the city's annual water. However, State Rep. Gary Brown, R-Cheyenne, expressed significant concerns, citing examples from other states where data centers consumed vast amounts of water and raised pollution issues. Brown highlighted "Project Jade," a Cheyenne data center by Tallgrass-Crusoe AI, which he claims could use 20-30 million gallons of water daily, a figure company officials dispute, stating their usage would be minimal. Anna Kaufman of the Wyoming Outdoor Council echoed worries, suggesting that the influx of data centers is outpacing local municipalities' capacity to manage impacts, including zoning and regulations. Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gilbert informed the committee that the state's constitution defaults to approving new water rights, treating industrial uses like data centers similarly to other sectors. He indicated that changing this approach would require legislative action. Meanwhile, Microsoft Senior Director of Infrastructure Government Affairs Jonathan Noble presented the industry's efforts to reduce water consumption through cooler climates, targeted evaporative cooling, and direct-to-chip cooling systems that reuse water. Trenton Thornock, founder of Prometheus Hyperscale, detailed his company's use of closed-loop systems with a propylene glycol-water mixture to minimize water use in their Evanston and Casper projects. Sen. Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, framed the debate as a property rights issue but acknowledged the transboundary nature of groundwater. The committee's ongoing deliberation aims to establish a "Wyoming way" to balance economic development from the data center industry with crucial resource management.