Montana drought fuels push for data center water review
Quantica Infrastructure is seeking approval to drill a deep well for a proposed data center near Broadview, Montana, with water use projected at 150,000 gallons per day during construction and 20,000 gallons per day afterward. Montana Conservation Voters and local residents are urging a more thorough review amid prolonged drought and are calling for stronger state protections, including a possible data center moratorium.
Quantica Infrastructure has proposed the Big Sky data center campus near Broadview, where it wants to drill approximately 4,500 feet into the Madison aquifer. The 5,100-square-foot facility could use about 150,000 gallons of water per day during construction and 20,000 gallons daily once operational. Montana's Department of Environmental Quality is accepting public comments on the well plan through October 29.
Montana Conservation Voters political director Molly Bell said the project warrants closer scrutiny because parts of the state are experiencing a sixth consecutive year of drought. Residents have attended county commission meetings and collected signatures for a ballot initiative requiring voter approval of data centers, but the measure failed to qualify after a signature deadline change. Bell said she hopes the Montana Legislature will establish data center protections and a moratorium until rules addressing water, electricity and transparency are in place.