Texas asked data centers to report their water use. Most of them didn't respond
Texas lawmakers expressed frustration during a legislative hearing that most data centers in the state are not reporting their water usage. The Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Water Development Board reported very low response rates to mandatory surveys, prompting calls for increased transparency from the industry. Lawmakers are considering setting stricter disclosure requirements in the upcoming legislative session.
During a recent legislative hearing in Austin, Texas, state lawmakers voiced significant frustration over the lack of transparency from the data center industry regarding water usage. The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) revealed that less than a third of the state's 341 data centers responded to a survey on water and energy usage, which was mandated by a provision in the 2026-2027 state budget. Chris Brown, program manager for data analysis at the PUCT, confirmed the low response rate, while State Rep. Mary González (D-El Paso County) questioned the commission's methodology in recruiting respondents.
Adding to the concern, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) reported that only 17% of data centers responded to its 2025 annual water use survey, which is legally required and punishable as a Class C misdemeanor for non-compliance. Temple McKinnon, TWDB's director of water supply planning, highlighted the rapid growth in data centers, comparing it to the early days of fracking, and noted the board's efforts to use "forensic accounting" to estimate water use when companies fail to report. State Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Bell County) called the available information "woefully lacking," and State Rep. Cody Harris (R-East Texas) stressed that resource utilization transparency "shouldn't be optional."
Harris also publicly criticized Diode Ventures and Calypso for declining invitations to testify at the hearing, labeling them "bad actors" who contribute to public skepticism. Conversely, companies like Amazon, Google, and Vantage Data Centers were present and testified. Lawmakers indicated their intent to establish clearer disclosure requirements for water usage in the next legislative session to improve accountability and inform future state planning.