Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe expresses concerns over data center expansion in Northern Nevada
Data center expansion in Northern Nevada, including facilities from Google, Microsoft, and Switch, is raising significant concerns for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. The tribe fears the extensive water and electricity demands of these centers will negatively impact the Truckee River and Pyramid Lake, essential for their fisheries and environment. Companies like Switch, Microsoft, and Google have outlined plans for water conservation, but concerns about overall resource strain and increased greenhouse gas emissions persist.
Data center expansion in Northern Nevada is sparking environmental concerns, particularly regarding water and electricity usage. The region, home to the largest data center in the United States and land acquired by tech giants Google and Microsoft, is seeing increased development. Steven Wadsworth, chairman of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, voiced significant worries about the impact on the Truckee River, which feeds Pyramid Lake and is vital for the tribe's fisheries.
Wadsworth highlighted that data centers require vast amounts of fresh water for cooling their AI servers, potentially diverting water away from Pyramid Lake. An environmental report from 2025 projects that data centers across five southwestern states could consume up to 90,000 acre-feet of water annually by 2035, a substantial amount compared to the 119,000 acre-feet that reached Pyramid Lake in 2022. This strain on the Truckee River's single water source is a major concern.
Beyond water, the massive electricity demands of these facilities are also problematic. Wadsworth noted that meeting these needs in the area would likely involve building more natural gas plants, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions. In response to these concerns, companies developing in the region have outlined mitigation efforts: Switch, operator of the largest data center, is constructing a $100 million water recycling plant. Microsoft stated its data centers would utilize closed-loop cooling systems to reduce local water demand, while Google plans to use air cooling to minimize watershed impact.
Despite these measures, Wadsworth remains pessimistic about truly halting the expansion, suggesting it would require a global shift away from social media use. He contends that the environmental trade-offs, whether water or electricity and its associated emissions, make it impossible to have one without impacting the other.