Two-Thirds of Planned U.S. Datacenters to Be Built in Areas Recently Affected by Drought

U.S. datacenters are located in counties that have remained in drought conditions throughout the past year, according to a Guardian analysis of federal and industry data. Of 809 facilities in development, 517 sit in areas graded at varying drought severity levels by Cleanview and the federal government.

A similar share of existing datacenters already occupies drought-affected zones. More than 60 percent of the contiguous United States is currently experiencing drought, the largest spring expanse in modern records. Large facilities can consume up to 5 million gallons of water daily for cooling, equal to the residential use of 50,000 people.

National demand from datacenters is forecast to reach 73 billion gallons per year by 2028, up from 17 billion gallons in 2023. One complex approved last month in a Utah county that has been in deep drought since summer 2025 covers an area twice the size of Manhattan. Walla Walla County in Washington, site of a planned Amazon facility, has been overwhelmingly in drought since July 2025.

In Texas, two of the largest new projects are sited in Pecos and Carson counties, both recently parched. Meta’s Hyperion datacenter in Louisiana will employ closed-loop cooling and draw up to 1 billion gallons annually from an agricultural aquifer, the company said. The facility will require electricity equivalent to 10 gas-fired power plants.

Researchers have calculated that datacenters could account for 9 percent of Texas water use by 2040. California, Michigan and Iowa are considering legislation that would require operators to file regular water-use reports. South Carolina and Kansas may mandate closed-loop systems.

New York lawmakers have advanced plans for an outright moratorium. A group opposing the Utah project known as Stratos is seeking a public referendum to reverse county approval. Five residents and a progressive organization have filed suit.