Delhi cattle farmer voices concerns over Meta data center project
Delhi cattle farmer Roy McIntyre has raised concerns about Meta's Holly Ridge data center project in Louisiana, fearing threats to the region's water supply, productive farmland, and local businesses. He specifically worries about the data center's high water consumption impacting irrigation for crops and the overall water table. Meta, however, states a commitment to water stewardship and anticipates the data center will use less water than the site currently does.
Roy McIntyre, a cattle farmer operating near Meta's 2,250-acre Holly Ridge data center site in Delhi, Louisiana, has voiced significant concerns regarding the project's potential environmental and economic impacts. McIntyre, whose family has has farmed in the area for 40 years, fears the data center could threaten productive farmland in Richland and Franklin parishes and negatively affect local businesses in Delhi. His primary worry centers on water consumption, citing Meta's 2025 Environmental Data Index which reported 2,974 megaliters (785 million gallons) of water usage by the company's data centers. He believes a depleted water table would severely impact crop irrigation, making farming unprofitable.
While Louisiana Economic Development projects the Meta facility will create over 500 direct jobs, McIntyre is skeptical about long-term benefits for small towns like Delhi, suggesting construction jobs are temporary and local businesses may be bypassed. Delhi officials declined to comment on the matter. In response to such concerns, the Richland Parish Data Center stated via a 2024 Facebook post that Meta prioritizes water stewardship and aims for water positivity by 2030, planning to use less water than the site currently consumes and investing in local water quality improvement and watershed restoration projects in Louisiana.