Questions grow over water use at data center in Eagle Mountain

A new data center facility currently under construction in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is drawing public and legislative attention due to concerns over its significant water usage in a drought-affected area. Data centers consume water primarily for cooling servers and for generating the electricity needed to run them. The operators of this specific data center have stated they will utilize a modern closed-loop cooling system, which significantly reduces water consumption compared to older designs by recirculating a refrigerant or water, akin to a car's radiator. In response to growing calls for transparency, the Utah Legislature, led by Joel Koford, passed House Bill 76 this year. This new law mandates that all large data centers becoming operational after July of the current year must publicly report their water usage. The goal of HB 76 is to address a nationwide lack of data regarding data center water consumption. However, the bill does not retroactively apply to data centers that were already operational or under construction prior to the July implementation date, a compromise made during legislative negotiations. The company developing the Eagle Mountain data center clarified that its cooling system will only require a one-time initial fill, with municipal water subsequently reserved for general facility uses such as restrooms, kitchens, and landscaping. The City of Eagle Mountain affirmed that the data center's development is subject to local development agreements and existing state regulations, and any future expansion phases will undergo a further review process. While direct water use by the data center itself is being minimized, the broader implications for water usage in power generation for these facilities remain a subject of inquiry as progress is made.