# 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.
- Title: Abbott wants data centers fined over water secrecy | Shortify
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: data centers, water, texas, regulation, abbott, news, local, wants, data, centers, fined, secrecy
- Source: The Texas Tribune — https://feeds.texastribune.org/link/16799/17461898/texas-data-centers-abbott-water-survey-enforcement
- Author: Alejandra Martinez, Alex Ford
- Published: 2026-09-14T21:03:02+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: data centers, water, texas, regulation, abbott, news, local
## 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.
## Key takeaway

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.