We hear and understand the concerns regarding water security in our valley. There is a lot of information circulating, and we want to provide clarity on how water policy and property rights currently work for any new development:
1. Water Rights & Private Property
Under current policy, all new development—whether it is a home, a business, or a data center—is required to provide its own water. This water must be acquired from the existing pool of available rights, which usually means purchasing them from a local agricultural producer.
It is important to note that water rights are private property. While we feel strongly about our agricultural community and the heritage and green space it provides, it is not the Conservancy’s role to tell a farmer when they can sell their rights to retire or to dictate which farmers must stay in business. Those owners have the right to make market-based decisions for their own assets.
2. Data Center Water Projections
From our research, we have conducted, the data center currently under discussion has proposed a closed-loop cooling system. Unlike traditional systems that lose millions of gallons to evaporation, a closed-loop system recirculates the water.
Initial Fill: It would require a one-time “charge” of approximately 8 acre-feet to fill the system.
Annual Use: Its ongoing annual consumption is projected at roughly 3.13 acre-feet(primarily for domestic use and landscaping). For context, this is roughly equivalent to the annual usage of 3 to 6 average households.
3. Pine Valley Water Supply Project
Regarding the Pine Valley project: while it has recently been approved, the Conservancy has not yet changed policies to allow developers to “buy into” this new water source. Currently, any project on the table must still rely on the acquisition of existing water rights as described above.
Our goal is to ensure that any future growth is balanced against the long-term health of our aquifer. We appreciate the community’s passion for conservation and will continue to provide updates as these projects move through the public process.
Lastly, the Utah legislature passed into law last week house bill 76 which requires large data centers to publicly report annual water consumption, including diversion and reuse data, to ensure transparency. The legislation, mandates 90-day pre-construction notification to water providers and sets penalties for non-compliance, allows for public verification of water usage claims, particularly for projects in arid regions like Iron County. For more details on the legislation, visit Utah Legislature.
