Information on how much water AI data centers use could become required in Utah — but that info could also be kept from the public.
Two large-scale AI data centers were announced in Utah’s Millard County last year.
Under House Bill 76, sponsored by Republican Rep. Jill Koford, those two and any other AI data centers in the state would be required to report the amount of diverted, discharged, and reused water at their facilities.
However, the bill also includes a clause that treats that data as a protected record, which means the public is not allowed to access it.
Utahns would only have access to the information through the state's required annual disclosures of AI water use.
But, that data would be aggregated and made anonymous, which means the public wouldn't be able to look up how much a specific data center used. And that could be a lot — researchers estimate that each 100-word email generated by an AI chatbot requires a little more than a full bottle of water, mostly used to cool overheating computers.
Water usage is particularly important in Utah, where over 90% of the state is currently in drought, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.
In Millard County specifically, 100% of people are affected by drought, with about two-thirds of the county in severe drought.
Joule Power, one of the companies building a data center in the area, told ABC4 its project would bring 90% water reduction through advanced recovery and recycling systems.
Opponents of the bill, however, including conservationist groups like Utah Water Ways, questioned why data center owners were being protected from the public by not being required to disclose water use to the public.
