The Colorado River Crisis Has a Blind Spot
The Colorado River crisis faces a blind spot as water rationing plans overlook the significant water and power demands of hyperscale data centers. This has prompted Arizona's Attorney General to call for a statewide moratorium on new data center approvals, particularly for AI projects. In Tucson, community opposition successfully led the City Council to reject city services for a major Amazon/Beale Infrastructure project, though the Pima County Board of Supervisors had previously approved its zoning, and construction is currently ongoing.
The Colorado River Basin is grappling with an extreme drought and water crisis, with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation implementing a two-year plan that significantly cuts water supplies to lower basin states like California, Nevada, and Arizona. The article, authored by Erin Brockovich and Suzanne Boothby, argues that this plan has a critical blind spot: the rapidly growing demand for water and electricity by hyperscale data centers, which are blooming in the desert region.
In response to these unaddressed concerns, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has urged state lawmakers and Governor Katie Hobbs to enact a statewide moratorium on the approval and construction of new data centers, especially water- and power-intensive AI projects. This call comes amidst escalating community opposition to such developments across the region, highlighting the severe strain on resources.
A prime example of this local resistance is "Project Blue" in Tucson, Arizona, linked to Amazon Web Services and developed by Beale Infrastructure. After revelations of undisclosed agreements and intense community activism, the Tucson City Council unanimously voted to reject annexing the project site and end negotiations for a development agreement, effectively denying it access to city water and services. However, the Pima County Board of Supervisors had previously approved the land's rezoning and sale, allowing construction to commence in April 2026. Despite continued physical blockades by the No Desert Data Center Coalition and discovery of improper water tapping by contractors, the project is moving forward, albeit with a switch to an air-based cooling system.
Adding to the pressure, the Pima County Health Department, in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, released a health impact study detailing potential public health risks from large-scale data centers, including decreased air quality, increased water consumption (e.g., 140 million gallons of reclaimed water annually for Project Blue), and rising energy bills. The article also touches upon similar data center controversies in New Mexico ("Project Jupiter") and California's Imperial Valley, and notes that the Nye County Board of Commissioners in Nevada voted to completely ban data centers following community concerns, illustrating successful local advocacy.