Op-Ed: Data centers aren’t draining the Mountain West
This op-ed argues against the perception that data centers are excessively draining water resources in the Mountain West, stating that concerns are often based on hyperbolic language. It highlights Meta's data center in Kuna, Idaho, as an example where water usage, though significant, is a small fraction of the state's total and often involves transferring agricultural water rights.
An op-ed in The Center Square disputes the narrative that data centers are major water guzzlers, especially in the Mountain West, arguing that local opposition to data center construction is often fueled by misunderstandings of their water consumption.
The article points to Meta's data center in Kuna, Idaho, as a case study. Meta acquired water rights for its facility from farmland, which total 3.7 million gallons per day, with 2.5 million of those rights signed over to the City of Kuna for a planned water treatment plant donated by Meta. Even at peak usage of two million gallons per day, Meta's data center would account for only 0.01% of Idaho's 2015 daily water withdrawals, a fraction of the 15 billion gallons used for crop irrigation, much of which occurs on land now being developed for data centers.
The author emphasizes that water usage by data centers often replaces agricultural use, shifting existing water rights rather than adding new strain. While acknowledging electricity generation for data centers also consumes water unless renewable sources are used, national estimates suggest total data center water consumption (including manufacturing and electricity) is significantly less than that of US golf courses or farms.
The article concludes that decisions to slow data center development should be based on local context, including facility consumption levels and regional water availability, aligning with approaches like Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon's executive order on advancement and conservation.