Thirsty Data: The Hidden Water and Energy Costs of Texas’ Data Center Boom - Houston Advanced Research Center

Without forward-looking data center water policies, communities will be forced into reactive, costly, and risky decisions.

Houston Advanced Research Center
Microsoft vows to cover full power costs for energy-hungry AI data centers

Company responds to community concerns over electricity bills and water use.

Ars Technica
Provisional Land Use Data From Water Year 2024 Is Now Available On [CA]DWR Atlas, CNRA Open Data, And SGMA Data Viewer For Public Use
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https://gis.water.ca.gov/app/CADWRLandUseViewer/?page=home <-- shared web-based CDWR datasets / map
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“The collected data is used by various federal, state, and local agencies, academic researchers and private consultants , and can help estimate the amount of water available for agriculture. Using this information, farmers can adapt and make decisions to better manage scarce water supplies more effectively.”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #California #download #opendata #water #hydrology #datause #datasharing #download #landuse #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #wateryear #DWRAtlas #statewide #CNRA #SGMA #publicdata #publicgood #usecase #crops #croplands #cropmapping #counties #countysurvey #CADWR #DWR #groundwater #irrigation #wateruse #watermanagement #federal #state #local #webmapping #agriculture #watersecurity #foodsecurity #watersupply
#CaliforniaDepartmentOfWaterResources
“The environmental cost of this is pretty huge in absolute terms,” he said. “At the moment society is paying for these costs, not the tech companies. The question is: is that fair?” #climate #climatechange #AI #carbonemissions #wateruse #environment https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/dec/18/2025-ai-boom-huge-co2-emissions-use-water-research-finds
AI boom has caused same CO2 emissions in 2025 as New York City, report claims

Study author says tech companies are reaping benefits of artificial intelligence age but society is left to pay cost

The Guardian

New research shows the water footprint of AI‑driven data centers is far lower and less risky than many think. While energy use draws headlines, experts say modern cooling tech keeps water consumption modest, even under policy shifts from the Trump era. Dive into the data to see how climate impact is being re‑evaluated. #AI #DataCenters #WaterUse #ClimateImpact

🔗 https://aidailypost.com/news/experts-say-data-centers-water-use-is-less-risky-than-public-perceives

This video on AI, and industrial water use in general, is worth your time.

24-minute video: https://youtu.be/H_c6MWk7PQc

#LLM #WaterUse #GenAI

Why is Everyone So Wrong About AI Water Use??

YouTube

Opening today: THIRST/For Knowledge at Asia Culture Center, Gwangju.

This work means a lot to me. I’ve long been troubled about the #environmental impact of #digitalmateriality. In THIRST/For Knowledge I use field recordings, film and text to focus on the rapid expansion of #AI #datacenters and their #wateruse.
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Analysis Of Colorado River Basin Storage Suggests Need For Immediate Action
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https://www.colorado.edu/center/gwc/2025/09/11/analysis-colorado-river-basin-storage-suggests-need-immediate-action <-- shared UC Boulder School Of Law paper
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https://www.usbr.gov/ColoradoRiverBasin/ <-- shared BuRec Colorado River Basin overview page
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https://www.usbr.gov/ColoradoRiverBasin/post2026/documents/CRWUA-2024-P26-Update.pdf <-- shared BuRec Colorado River Basin Lake Powell & Lake Mead Operations Post-2026 Update 12/05/24 presentation
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https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR033454 <-- shared 2023 paper – “Aridification of Colorado River Basin's Snowpack Regions Has Driven Water Losses Despite Ameliorating Effects of Vegetation”
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#water #hydrology #watermanagement #management #watersecurity #agriculture #ColoradoRiver #ColoradoRiverBasin #storage #waterresources #wateruse #agreement #naturalsupply #usecase #reserve #model #modeling #hydrospatial #future #forecasts #climate #recharge #snowpack #massbalance #conservative #dams #BuRec #reservoir #operations #infrastructure #consumption #magicwater
@CU Boulder Getches-Wilkinson Center Law Center
In the Bitterroot, Flathead, Gallatin, and Yellowstone valleys, you'll find 10-acre ranchettes, often near a municipality. The majority are served by wells and septic systems that have no monitoring requirements. #MTPol #Montana #WaterUse #WaterRights montanafreepress.bluelena.io/index.php?ac...

‘The Wild West of punching hol...
‘The Wild West of punching holes in the ground’

PLUS: Food needs skyrocket...