Waco-area residents seek answers at Data Center Impacts forum as industry grows in Central Texas

More than 150 residents from McLennan County, Texas, gathered at a "Data Center Impacts" forum hosted by the Waco Bridge to address growing concerns about proposed data centers in the region, particularly near Lacy Lakeview and Riesel. The event brought together researchers, environmental advocates, and local officials to discuss the potential strain these large-scale facilities could place on the area's water and electricity infrastructure.

Residents like Shawna Fennell, living near a proposed hyperscale data center in Lacy Lakeview, highlighted their ongoing efforts to organize opposition. Many attendees expressed frustration over a perceived lack of transparency, with some reportedly unaware of the projects until recently. This secrecy fueled anxieties about the vast amounts of water and energy the facilities would require, especially given existing pressures on Texas's water supply, as noted by Margaret Cook, vice president of water and community resilience for the Houston Advanced Research Center.

Panelists, including Cook, Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas, and McLennan County Judge Scott Felton, discussed the difficulty in predicting exact resource demands. Metzger warned that one proposed project in Riesel alone could consume enough electricity for 100,000 homes, raising doubts about the state's ability to meet such increased demands, potentially relying on non-renewable sources.

While many residents felt validated in their concerns, Jill King, an expert in advanced computing, critiqued the forum for focusing too much on worst-case scenarios and for not including representatives from the data center developers to answer specific questions from the community. Event organizers stated they invited developers and Lacy Lakeview officials but chose not to include them on the panel, aiming for a broader industry discussion rather than a project-specific one.