Report reveals how much water could be consumed by Texas data centers

Texas’ booming data center industry could strain the state’s already stressed water supply, with facilities projected to account for up to 9% of statewide water use by 2040, according to a University of Texas study. 

The report, which accounted for water used for cooling and to produce the needed power at data centers, comes as many data centers are planned throughout the state. With researchers at UT saying there are more than 400 data centers operating or under construction in Texas, they’re urging for more transparency, improved planning and alternative water sources to reduce pressure on supplies, the study states. 

Currently, data centers account for less than 1% of the state’s water use.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the water use for data centers,” said Mariam Arzumanyan, a fellow at the Bureau of Economic Geology at UT Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences, in a written statement. “People don’t know the scale of how much water is going to be needed. There is not a unified understanding of the technologies used for cooling, or how much water that technology would use.”

In Texas, the state has faced extreme drought, with Corpus Christi at risk of running out of water.  A state analysis estimated Texas communities would need to spend $174 billion over the next 50 years to avoid a water crisis, according to a report by the Texas Tribune. 

“What we’re trying to do via this white paper and the work that follows is come up with tools and techniques to predict water use, both direct and indirect, and help inform the community, city planners and local government about the water needs of emerging data centers,” said Vaibhav Bahadur, an associate professor at the UT Cockrell School of Engineering, in a written statement.