Data Center Water Tracker Update: October 24, 2026

The Data Center Water Tracker now carries 210 measures across federal, state, local and interstate levels (33 federal, 91 state, 83 local, 3 interstate), 88 of them enacted, alongside 164 published data center water figures covering all fifty states. Every entry links to its primary source.

New this period (5)

• Sioux County, Iowa, proposed data center ordinance: Sioux County Data Center Ordinance. Passed second reading, Reported Oct 19, 2026. The ordinance requires developers to pay for infrastructure improvements to substations and confirms power company capacity before operation, and includes language addressing conditional use processes to protect natural resources including water. Source
• Littleton, Colorado, proposed ordinance: Six-month moratorium on new data center development. First reading scheduled, Oct 19, 2026. The ordinance would direct staff to study the land-use, energy, water, noise, air-quality, infrastructure and economic impacts associated with data centers. Source
• Virginia, SB 843: Three-year moratorium on new data center development. Introduced, Oct 17, 2026. The measure would require a three-year pause on new data center development to allow time for developing regulations that protect water resources, among other concerns. Source
• Martin County, Florida, Ordinance (no number given): Temporary pause on large-scale data center applications. Passed first reading, Oct 13, 2026. The measure would temporarily block the county from taking new large-scale data center applications in unincorporated Martin County to allow time to review water use and other environmental concerns. Source
• Dover, Delaware, 18-month moratorium: Data Center Application Pause. Passed Council Vote, Oct 12, 2026. The measure requires a pause on new data center applications for 18 months to allow the city to assess infrastructure impacts, including water use, before establishing regulations. Source

Newly located from earlier periods (1)

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

• Frederick County, Maryland, Executive Order 05-2026: Extension of moratorium on data center applications. Issued and Extended, Sep 14, 2026. Source

Status changes (2)

• Montgomery County, Tennessee, Proposed zoning update: Planning Commission approved to Adopted with amendment. Source
• San Francisco, California, Proposed interim moratorium ordinance: Proposed to 45-day moratorium enacted. Source

New published water figures (1, in 1 states)

Each figure carries its own basis, period, scope and source. Figures on different bases are never compared or summed, and a permit limit, allowance or projection is listed as evidence rather than drawn as a measured bar.

• AZ: 2.5 billion gallons (Use, 2025). globally, Amazon data centers. Source

The standing position

• 9 states have a published statewide or regional measured aggregate and draw a bar: AZ, CA, NE, NV, OH, OR, TX, VA, WY.
• 22 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.