Documents show proposed Shreveport data center would use 7.5 million gallons of water daily

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) — City and parish documents reviewed by KSLA Investigates reveal more about the potential impacts of a proposed data center facility.

A packet of documents from a Shreveport City Council special session on Dec. 4 show the proposed large-scale data center estimates it will use 7.5 million gallons of potable water per day. There would also be an estimated 2.5 million gallons of wastewater and cooling blowdown per day flowing back to Shreveport’s water system if the center is built, according to a fact sheet in the documents.

“The system was built for a population the size of around 225,000 people. As you know, we do not have that anymore. So the system has more than enough capacity,” said Brandon Snead, interim director of Shreveport’s Department of Water & Sewerage. “And when we talk about capacity, we’ll take today, for example, average today of usage from the water treatment plant is about 30 million gallons per day. Our plant is rated for almost 80 million gallons per day. So you can see the capacity is there. Even during the summertime where we average 55 million gallons per day, we still have that capacity. So the capacity is there.”

“The wastewater that would be delivered back to us is, it’s very basic. It’s innate. It’s not like other manufacturing industries. So it’s easily treatable. It’s something that our plant can handle and does every day that we’ll still have to meet. We will still meet the same limits we have to meet every day for our discharge permits through DEQ and EPA,” Snead explained.

The Water and Sewerage Services Agreement (WSA) between the City of Shreveport and TXLAAR, llc., the owner of the proposed data center, stipulates the company would design and construct water and wastewater infrastructure improvements to achieve that capacity.

“When any particular project of this size comes, we model it. We study it from all angles, because we hear our constituents. We have the concerns. That’s why we do model it. And obviously, we found we have more than enough capacity,” Snead said.

Section 7 of the WSA stipulates that TXLAAR would be charged for sewerage at a rate of 35% of metered water usage.

The resolution would need to be signed by Mayor Tom Arceneaux.

RELATED VIDEO: Shreveport Metropolitan Planning Commission shares response to data center situation

Documents from the Caddo Parish Commission meeting on Dec. 4 outline a host of economic development incentives for data centers built in the northwest Louisiana area, including a payment-in-lieu of tax (PILOT) arrangement with different levels based on the level of capital investment and the number of full-time jobs created at each center. The jobs would need to pay annual wages at or above 150% of Louisiana’s statewide average wage plus benefits, according to the term sheet attached to Resolution 48 of 2025. Any PILOT payment would be in lieu of ad-valorem taxes.

City council’s next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 18. Councilmembers are expected to vote on the data center proposal then.

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