Texas is running out of cheap water. Will we learn from Corpus Christi?
Texas faces a critical water crisis, projected to cost $174 billion over the next 50 years to meet the demands of growing populations and industries, including data centers. The article highlights that the escalating price of freshwater will lead to significant costs for consumers, with the situation in Corpus Christi serving as a statewide warning.
Texas is confronting a severe and escalating water crisis, with a draft of the 2027 State Water Plan projecting a need for $174 billion in spending over the next 50 years to meet the state's freshwater demands, double previous estimates. This financial burden, which will likely fall on taxpayers through property taxes, fees, or insurance increases, is driven by rapid population growth and the water-intensive needs of industries such as oil and gas fracking, computer chip manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and data centers. The article points to a new NTT data center campus in Garland, Texas, which requires 40 water-filled chillers for cooling, as an example of this industrial demand.
State Senator Charles Perry, chairman of the Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, emphasized the inevitability of these costs, warning against a 'Third World state' if the issue is not addressed. The situation in Corpus Christi, where emergency water projects are underway, is presented as a precursor to what the rest of Texas can expect as communities statewide struggle with dwindling supplies and the high price of creating new freshwater sources.