Aqua WSC Approves Water Service for Pacifico Data Center
The Aqua Water Supply Corporation has approved water service for Pacifico Energy Development's data center in Cedar Creek, Bastrop County, Texas, with a deadline for a formal service agreement by February 2027. Despite this approval, the project faces ongoing opposition, including legal challenges to its stormwater permits and calls for increased regulatory oversight and a statewide data center moratorium. A state official has also called for a statewide data center moratorium.
The Aqua Water Supply Corporation board has approved large-volume water service for Pacifico Energy Development LLC's expansive 2,842-acre data center and power project in Cedar Creek, Bastrop County, Texas. This approval, granted on September 1, comes with a strict deadline, requiring Pacifico to finalize a formal service agreement by February 28, 2027, or risk losing the deal. A legal deposit of $3,500 must be paid by November 30, 2026, to proceed with the non-standard service agreement.
The project, which includes a 710-megawatt natural gas power plant, has faced considerable local resistance. Adjacent landowners have filed formal motions with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to revoke construction stormwater permits issued to Pacifico and BlackChamber. Simultaneously, Bastrop County Commissioners tabled a resolution in August aimed at seeking expanded regulatory authority from the Texas Legislature over large industrial projects like data centers.
The widespread opposition has also reached the state level. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller advocated for a one-year statewide moratorium on new data center developments at a July town hall in Bastrop, citing the need for regulators to catch up with rapid development. The path forward for Pacifico now depends on meeting upcoming financial and contractual deadlines, as well as the resolution of the pending TCEQ permit challenges, amid ongoing regulatory and public scrutiny.