Utah lawmakers pass water reporting requirement for large data centers

Utah lawmakers have passed a bill requiring large data centers moving to the state to report their annual water use to state officials. The bill, sponsored by Republican State Representative Jill Koford, is intended to address concerns about the significant water usage of some data centers in the second-driest state. The reporting requirement only applies to new data centers over 10,000 square feet that use at least 75 acre-feet of water per year. Koford said the compromise was reached after speaking with data center operators, as the industry is important to Utah's economy. The bill now awaits the governor's signature to take effect in May.