San Antonio's District 6 Councilmember Ric Galvan has put data centers in the spotlight, filing a Council Consideration Request (CCR) that calls for a full-blown policy discussion on their impact, especially on the city's far West Side. As reported by the City of San Antonio official news release, Galvan stressed the urgency needed to address the burgeoning presence of data centers and their demands on local infrastructure such as the electric grid and water supply. "Our city cannot afford to wait until resource demands outpace our infrastructure," Galvan stated, emphasizing the need for San Antonio to plan.
The proposal, titled “Data Center Response – Planning and Policy Discussion,” aims for the City Council Governance Committee to take a deep dive into what the city can do to keep these digital beasts in check — including through zoning, permitting, and development codes. It was spurred by concerns over how these centers consume water and power, as well as issues regarding the state and local regulatory frameworks that guide data center operations. Galvan’s own residents have made their voices heard, sharing firsthand experiences that have, in turn, fueled this launchpad for policy debate, according to the City of San Antonio.
Throwing around some rather startling numbers, a policy brief from the Houston Advanced Research Center, along with the University of Houston Energy, points out the sheer volume of water a mid-sized data center guzzles daily – to the tune of 300,000 gallons – that's akin to what a thousand homes would use. Projected figures suggest Texas data centers could be slurping down an eye-watering 399 billion gallons of water come 2030, potentially taking up to 7% of the state's water supply. That's the future knocking on the door with a dry throat.
