El Reno data center wastes 3 million gallons of water amid drought
A data center in El Reno, Oklahoma, wasted over 3 million gallons of water due to a damaged private line, forcing schools and the county courthouse to close and leaving thousands of residents without water. This incident occurred while 100% of Oklahoma is experiencing drought conditions.
Officials in El Reno, Oklahoma, reported that a damaged private water line at an unnamed data center resulted in the waste of over 3 million gallons of water. The leak, which went undiscovered for several days, caused water levels in El Reno's water towers to plummet, leading to temporary closures of local schools and the county courthouse, and left thousands of residents without water.
El Reno Interim City Manager Ken Brown described the situation as "a very stressful time." The incident is particularly concerning as 100% of Oklahoma is currently experiencing a drought, with 40% of its western region facing "extreme" or "exceptional" drought conditions. The data center in question reportedly specializes in AI storage and Bitcoin mining.