Data Centers Can Guzzle Serious Water. As Some Nebraskans Worry, Tech Giants Seek Solutions
Google's Nebraska data centers reported consuming a significant amount of water in 2025, raising concerns among residents and water professionals about availability during drought conditions. New state legislation will soon require companies to disclose annual water and power usage, while natural resource districts are also updating regulations. The data center industry is actively seeking technological solutions and greater efficiency to address these consumption issues.
Concerns are growing in Nebraska regarding the substantial water usage by data centers, as highlighted by Google's self-reported consumption of approximately 732 million gallons in 2025 across its Nebraska facilities. This figure, though relatively small compared to agricultural irrigation statewide, has sparked apprehension among residents and water professionals, particularly in light of drought conditions in parts of the state.
Existing data centers in Nebraska include Google's sites in Omaha, Papillion, and Lincoln, and Meta's facility in Sarpy County. A potential natural gas plant and data center project proposed by Tenaska near Adams in Gage County has also drawn public scrutiny, with local meetings focusing heavily on potential water impacts. Experts like Anthony Schutz of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law and Jonathan Koomey, a data center researcher, note that water use varies widely among facilities and companies, with some like xAI being less transparent than others like Meta and Google.
In response to these concerns, the Nebraska Legislature passed new state legislation in its 2026 session, mandating that companies disclose their annual water use and power demand, with the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment set to begin collecting this data. Simultaneously, local Natural Resources Districts (NRDs), such as the Papio-Missouri River NRD and Nemaha NRD, are updating their regulations to better account for future water consumption by industrial users. Industry representatives, including Pete Marin, CEO of T5 Data Centers, and Dan Diorio of the Data Center Coalition, emphasize the industry's commitment to efficiency and the development of new water-saving cooling technologies, while balancing water and electricity usage trade-offs.