Denver City Council to Vote on Proposed Data Center Moratorium Amid Water and Power Concerns
The Denver City Council is preparing to vote on a proposed one-year moratorium on new data center construction, prompted by concerns over a large CoreSite facility currently under construction. This new data center is projected to use significantly more water and power than other industrial users in the city. Community groups are actively pushing for binding protections related to the environmental impact.
The Denver City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed one-year moratorium on new data center construction within the city. This measure, co-sponsored by council members Darrell Watson and Paul Kashmann, aims to temporarily halt new zoning permits and site development plans for data centers while the city develops regulations concerning energy use, water consumption, noise, and placement.
The initiative comes as CoreSite's DE3 data center in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood is already under construction. This facility is estimated to consume approximately 235,000 gallons of water per day and up to 18 megawatts of power, figures that a Denver Water spokesperson described as