Georgia 30 Million Gallon Water Grab Puts Cheyenne Data Centers Under New Scrutiny

A Georgia data center’s 30-million-gallon water use over an unspecified timeframe is sparking concern in Cheyenne, where 70-some data centers are in various stages of discussion. The incident, reported by Politico and other national media, occurred when Quality Technology Services quietly drew tens of millions of gallons from a strained system during a drought. No one noticed until residents’ water pressure dropped. The company has since retroactively paid for the water. Company officials had promised the campus would only use four households’ worth of water once fully operational, but construction remains ongoing.

To critics like Cheyenne resident Heather Madrid, who is circulating a petition calling for a moratorium on more data centers, Georgia’s surprise does not surprise her. “I have publicly said many times that trusting the Mark Zuckerbergs and the Bill Gates of the world seems pretty foolish considering their history of violating our first-amendment rights during COVID, among other things,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “These corporations ‘fess up after they’ve been caught, which isn’t honest. It’s a forced confession.”

Cheyenne city leaders say the Georgia situation is unlikely to happen here. Ward I Councilman Larry Wolfe said the incident involved unauthorized connections and a lack of monitoring, which is not the case in Cheyenne. “The Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities monitors water usage all over town,” Wolfe said. “They have a really sophisticated system. Heck, we get notices if we’re using more water than we have on a regular basis.” Additionally, data centers buying water from Cheyenne are required to use a closed-loop system, a requirement for new centers in the last four to five years. Mayor Patrick Collins has previously told the Select Water Committee that overall water use by Cheyenne data centers is 200 acre-feet per year, about 1.5% of overall city water use.

Laramie County farmer Cody Smith said the Georgia incident is a wake-up call. “Thirty-million gallons is roughly 92 acre-feet of water,” he said. “That’s like watering 50, 60 acres for the summer, so that’s a lot of water.” Smith noted that monitoring wells across Laramie County show water levels dropping every year for the last 30 to 40 years. “We’re pumping more water out than is being recharged,” he said. “We’re using it beyond its capability of recharging.” With 97% of the state experiencing some level of drought, he added, “there’s no extra water in the system at all. So if we have an additional draw on the system, you’re taking it from someone.”

Rep. Daniel Singh said the Georgia incident underscores why water policy matters in Wyoming. “Article 8, Section 1 of the Wyoming Constitution declares that the waters of the state are the property of the state itself,” he said. “Because of that constitutional framework, Wyoming legislators have a clear responsibility to act as careful stewards of our water resources.”

Madrid said water is just one issue. She is also concerned about housing prices being artificially inflated, with more homes selling for $800,000 to $1 million—”almost unheard of prior to the data center boom.” She said data centers are poaching employees from local businesses, forcing local companies to raise wages. “When the bubble bursts—and it will—we will be left with little to nothing to show for it,” she said. “The majority of us regular folk can’t afford their million-dollar leftovers. We’re being priced out of our own community.”