California High Speed Rail Commission explores data centers along route, raising water concerns in San Joaquin Valley
The California High Speed Rail Commission is exploring the idea of lining its route through the San Joaquin Valley with data centers as a new revenue stream. This proposal raises significant concerns due to the high water consumption of data centers and the region's existing water scarcity and land subsidence issues. Critics argue the plan ignores crucial state water mandates and environmental realities.
The California High Speed Rail Commission, grappling with escalating costs and financial shortfalls, is seeking alternative revenue streams beyond ticket sales. Among the ideas being floated is the proposal to develop data centers along the high-speed rail corridor in the San Joaquin Valley, leveraging the project's potential for excess clean electricity and fiber optic infrastructure.
However, this concept has drawn strong criticism due to the substantial water requirements of data centers, particularly for cooling, in an already water-stressed region. The San Joaquin Valley faces significant challenges, including severe land subsidence caused by groundwater depletion and state mandates requiring water basins to achieve sustainability by 2045. Critics, including the Turlock Journal, argue that introducing high-volume water consumers like data centers would exacerbate these existing environmental and water management issues, potentially undermining the region's agricultural sector and conflicting with broader state environmental policies.