From The Texas Tribune · Alejandra Martinez, Alex Ford · · 2m
Abbott wants data centers fined over water secrecy
Fewer than a third of Texas data centers report how much water they use, and the governor just told the state to start punishing them.
In brief
Fewer than a third of Texas data centers report how much water they use, and the governor just told the state to start punishing them. Texas plans its water 50 years out, but most data centers never file the survey that feeds those projections, and no agency has been enforcing the law. Originally reported by The Texas…
Abbott orders penalties
Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Water Development Board to penalize data centers that skip the state's mandatory water use survey.
“Data centers must share the duty to protect Texas water”
Most simply don't answer
As few as 28% of surveyed data centers have responded over the last three years, even as their demand for water climbs fast.
A deadline in October
Abbott asked the water board for an update on compliance and enforcement by Oct. 14. The board did not immediately comment on the directive.
The law has no enforcer
Skipping the survey is a Class C misdemeanor, but the water board says it cannot prosecute anyone because it is a non-regulatory agency.
Nobody counts the fines
Asked in July how many fines had been issued, agency staff said they do not track it. Enforcement sits with district attorneys and local police.
Money is the real lever
A TWDB official testified that facilities must respond if they want state financial assistance or certain environmental permits.
The data stays hidden
The board releases survey compliance information only through public information requests, and shares it with law enforcement only when asked.
What the survey misses
It goes to about 3,200 industrial facilities using over 10 million gallons a year, but never asks which cooling technology they use, the biggest water draw of all.
Compliance fell off a cliff
From 2020 to 2022 the state surveyed fewer than five data centers and got 100% responses. By 2025 it surveyed 329 and only about 30% replied.
One site, a whole town
A Bitdeer facility in Rockdale uses more than 300 million gallons a year, matching a Texas town of 3,500 people. Google, QTS and Meta sites rank near the top.
No audit, no power
Abbott also tied a separate ERCOT audit of water use and cooling tech to grid access. Projects that fail to complete it get denied interconnection.
The essence
Texas plans its water 50 years out, but most data centers never file the survey that feeds those projections, and no agency has been enforcing the law.
