An AI data center promised not to touch Colorado River water: Now it wants 260 million gallons a year in a drought zone

A proposed artificial intelligence data center in Southern California has sparked intense controversy after pivoting on its water usage plans. Despite initially promising to avoid drawing from the Colorado River, the developer behind the project has filed a lawsuit seeking access to roughly 287 million gallons of water per year to cool the facility, following failed attempts to secure recycled wastewater.

At 330 megawatts, the facility would be the largest AI data center in California. Project developer Sebastian Rucci maintains that the facility’s water demand would not place added strain on the river. He plans to acquire active agricultural land, halt farming operations, and redirect the property’s existing water allocations to cool the data center. According to Rucci, the project’s impact would be equivalent to that of a 160-acre farm, requiring “not a single additional drop” from the Colorado River.

Nonetheless, the proposal has drawn fierce backlash from experts and local residents. The Colorado River provides drinking water to roughly 40 million people and faces severe drought conditions, while the Imperial Valley relies almost exclusively on the river for an agricultural industry that consumes nearly 80% of the region’s water allocation.

A fierce debate takes hold

Water management experts warn that the real conflict is not just the volume of water a single data center consumes, but whether diverting resources from agriculture to the artificial intelligence industry makes strategic sense. They also caution that scaling back farming operations could ripple across the local economy, impacting everyone from field workers to dependent local businesses.

For its part, the developer argues the project will deliver significant economic returns, creating 1,688 construction jobs, over 100 permanent positions, and an estimated $2.8 billion economic impact over the next 30 years. Even so, community groups fear the lawsuit could set a dangerous precedent for privatizing or reallocating water rights in one of the most drought-stricken regions in the United States.

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