Data Center Water Tracker Update: September 2, 2026

The Data Center Water Tracker now carries 90 measures across federal, state, local and interstate levels (25 federal, 32 state, 30 local, 3 interstate), 35 of them enacted, alongside 115 published data center water figures covering all fifty states. Every entry links to its primary source.

New this period (2)

• California, AB 2619: Water use reported under penalty of perjury at licensing. Proposed, Enrolled Sep 1, 2026. Data center operators would report estimated or actual water sources and water usage, under penalty of perjury, when seeking and renewing a business license or permit. The bill adds Sections 16000.4 and 16100.4 to the Business and Professions Code and amends Section 10632 of the Water Code, which governs urban water shortage contingency plans. Source
• Perryville, Missouri, Data center ordinance, third revision: Fifty thousand gallons a day, closed loop, and no wells. Proposed, Sep 1, 2026. The third draft caps water use at 50,000 gallons per day on a 30-day average, requires closed-loop cooling, and prohibits groundwater wells and once-through cooling. It also requires a public hearing before a license may be issued, a 500-foot separation from homes, childcare facilities and work centers for people with developmental disabilities, environmental and noise impact assessments, a statement of expected utility demands, and proof that electrical power has been secured. Source

Newly located from earlier periods (11)

Added to the tracker this week, adopted or introduced earlier. These are not this week’s activity.

• California, AB 2469: No local approval without a water plan and full cost recovery. Proposed, Aug 31, 2026. Source
• Pima County, Arizona, Health Department data center review: Twenty-one impact pathways, water among them. Enacted, Aug 31, 2026. Source
• Escondido, California, 45-day urgency moratorium: A pause while power, water and land use impacts are studied. Enacted, Aug 26, 2026. Source
• San Antonio, Texas, Unified Development Code data center rules: An aquifer recharge zone ban weighed instead of a pause. Proposed, Aug 25, 2026. Source
• Lake Elsinore, California, 45-day data center moratorium: A temporary halt citing strain on water supplies. Enacted, Aug 25, 2026. Source
• Texas, 2027 State Water Plan and annual water use survey: A mandatory survey that 83 percent of data centers ignored. Enacted, Jul 23, 2026. Source
• United States, S. 4727: Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act of 2026. Proposed, Jun 9, 2026. Source
• Seattle, Washington, Council Bill 121214 and Resolution 32204: An emergency pause with a water use analysis attached. Enacted, Jun 9, 2026. Source
• United States, H.R. 8488: AI Data Center Site Selection Transparency Act of 2026. Proposed, Apr 23, 2026. Source
• Weld County, Colorado, Code Ordinance 2026-01: Proof of water required with the application. Enacted, Apr 2026. Source
• Logan County, Colorado, Resolution 2026-5: Water supply plans for any facility at or above one megawatt. Enacted, Feb 17, 2026. Source

Status changes (1)

• Austin, Texas, Large-load data center resolution: Proposed to Enacted. Source

The standing position

• 8 states have a published statewide or regional measured aggregate and draw a bar: AZ, CA, NE, NV, OH, TX, VA, WY.
• 23 states have published figures at facility or instrument level only, with no state total.
• 19 states have no measured data center water volume published by anyone.

That ratio is the tracker’s central finding. The disclosure bills it follows exist because this figure is, almost everywhere, not collected.

The full tracker, with every state’s file, the federal accordion, and all sources, is at savrn.com/data-center-water-tracker. All citations are on the sources page.