Residents voice water concerns, data center moratorium requested at Evergreen UWCD meeting
Residents in Atascosa County, Texas, expressed significant concerns about water scarcity and over-allocation during a meeting of the Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District. They specifically requested a temporary moratorium or pause on agricultural, livestock, and industrial groundwater permits, citing proposed data centers as major water users. Local officials and residents highlighted the potential for residential wells to run dry and the long-term impact on the aquifer.
Residents of Atascosa County, Texas, voiced strong opposition to high-volume groundwater permits, particularly those related to proposed data centers, during a June 26 meeting of the Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District (EUWCD) Board of Directors. Jacqueline Korus, a resident of Bruce Road, formally requested the board to adopt a temporary moratorium or pause on agricultural, livestock, and industrial groundwater permits. She emphasized the need for reliable scientific information on long-term impacts on groundwater levels, water quality, and recharge capacity before committing more water to high-volume uses, noting that "our groundwater is over-allocated."
Korus cited specific permit requests totaling over 177 million gallons of water per year, linking them to data centers moving into Atascosa County using various corporate structures to "smokescreen." Nick Vasquez of Poteet, representing the Atascosa Data Center Resistance group and a Poteet City Council member, echoed these concerns, stating that the City of Poteet was told its water would run out by 2032. He urged the EUWCD to act now, highlighting the irreversible nature of water usage permits for businesses in Texas. Hector Rodriguez, another resident, expressed concerns for future generations amidst drought conditions and asked for a moratorium to assess the true water consumption of data centers. The EUWCD General Manager, Dr. Aarin Teague, confirmed the withdrawal of one permit (#3436) that was related to a possible data center construction. The board also noted the importance of registering all water wells in the district.