Texas Scorecard by McKael Kirwin August 6, 2025
As Texas attracts data companies, concerns over the stability of water resources and infrastructure are rising.Texas has become a hotspot for tech companies, attracting business from data companies that need larger campuses to meet national demand. In the midst of a water crisis, data centers create additional demand for this vital resource.
According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), there are 64 public water systems currently limiting usage in order to avoid shortages. The TCEQ’s drought map shows severe alerts being issued throughout Central Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.
This year, what Gov. Greg Abbott called “Texas-sized investments” were made with the passage of Senate Bill 7 and House Joint Resolution 7, which appropriated billions of dollars toward water infrastructure and conservation.
While most policy concerns center around agricultural demands and municipal shortages, the impact of data centers on Texas’ water crisis is receiving more attention.
A white paper released by the Houston Advanced Research Center to the Austin Chronicle estimates that data centers are set to use 49 billion gallons of water by the end of 2025. That number is predicted to rise to 399 billion gallons by 2030, potentially accounting for 6.6 percent of Texas’ total water usage.
As data centers often operate around the clock, daily water consumption for mid-sized facilities can exceed 300,000 gallons. Larger facilities can require upwards of 4,500,000 gallons per day.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-data-centers-thirst-for-water-challenging-state-infrastructure/
