Project concern
Where the cooling water comes from — and why the filings point to reuse water, not the local aquifer.
Data centers can use large volumes of water for cooling, and in an arid basin the worry is direct competition with agriculture, households, and existing water rights — especially if a facility draws on fresh groundwater.
The filing describes WEM process/cooling supply, with separate culinary needs for staff and landscaping.
Inspect the source →A closed coolant loop does not determine the outdoor system’s water consumption. The final mechanical arrangement is not established here.
Annual demand, source rights, treatment, discharge and shortage response.
Open water questions →HB 76 adds notification and reporting duties for qualifying facilities. It is not a universal water-use cap.
Read the enrolled law →The developer's filings describe sourcing process and cooling water from Wasatch Energy Management through a shared process-water system, rather than from a freshwater aquifer. Culinary water is described as coming via a Pleasant Valley utility extension, and wastewater is handled by septic in coordination with Tri-County Health. Utah’s HB 76 took effect May 6, 2026. It establishes notification and reporting duties for qualifying new large data centers. The definition combines annual withdrawal of at least 75 acre-feet with at least 10,000 square feet and other statutory criteria. “New” refers to operations beginning on or after July 1, 2026. The law requires reporting about withdrawals and conservation efforts; it does not establish a universal water-use cap. Applicability and compliance for this project have not been independently verified. The water-source claims trace to the project filings; the volumes and the reuse arrangement are the items to confirm against the operating record once the facility is built.
Source: enrolled HB 76, pages 4–7