2016 Salt Lake County Watershed Symposium

Mirage in the Desert: Data Centers, Water Use, & Growth
Data centers have a history of generating controversy in Utah, particularly in regard to the water and tax benefits that sustain them. In 2014, the Utah Legislature threatened to cut off the NSA Utah Data Center’s water supply after public records revealed the data center is using more water than its host town of Bluffdale. This year, after weeks of secrecy over its location, the proposed Facebook data center is slated for West Jordan City where it will enjoy millions of dollars in tax breaks and rely on millions of gallons of water per day.

These actions provoke a series of questions this workshop will explore including: Given drought and the high water usage of these data centers, what is the current state of water scarcity in Utah in regard to supply and usage? Do tax policies enable and/or increase their high water consumption? What impacts to our watersheds do these data centers and the practices that sustain them have? We will also examine exactly how much water these data centers use compared to other municipal and agricultural water uses.