Letter: Utah’s water is under threat from massive data centers

Utah’s water is under threat from massive data centers that risk consuming billions of gallons annually. As an environmental coordinator, it is my responsibility to measure and minimize environmental impact. These companies have no such mandate, closely guarding their water use because it would immediately disqualify them from many communities. As such, they threaten to undo Utah’s years of progress in water conservation.

Google’s and IBM’s one million square foot data centers use approximately 200 million gallons (600 acre-feet) annually, a staggering amount for a state in a megadrought. The new center approved in Millard County will cover 20 million square feet, meaning it could use up to 4 billion gallons (12,000 acre-feet) annually. For perspective, that’s more than the 10,000 acre-feet announced by the Great Salt Lake Water Trust in September to help the Great Salt Lake. It is unacceptable to justify higher water use in one place because we saved water elsewhere. Unchecked consumption will turn our farms to dust when the wells run dry and we pave the American West for profit while boasting of its untamed beauty.

We can’t manage what we don’t measure. Yet companies guard water data as if transparency were optional, asking for trust, but corporations often use false promises of prosperity to take advantage of vulnerable communities. Utah’s new report warns: “Without sufficient data, Utah cannot account for future population growth and increased water needs.” Rep. Koford proposed requiring water use disclosure 180 days before construction, but that’s not enough.

Communities deserve to know the impacts before projects are approved, not after the damage is done. Utah must mandate water-use disclosure from during the approval process and create a mechanism to reject projects threatening our ecosystems and rural livelihoods. Anything less sacrifices our rural communities on the altar of AI.

Nathan Hole, Sunset

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