Why it matters:

Utahns want clear answers about where water flows, especially as the state works to protect the Great Salt Lake while supporting economic growth. Large data centers now sit at the center of that conversation, raising questions about how fast-growing digital infrastructure fits into a water-constrained future.

Those questions now drive policy. House Bill 76, sponsored by Rep. Jill Koford, would require large data centers to report projected and ongoing water use, giving lawmakers, water managers, and the public clearer insight into how these facilities affect limited resources.

The big picture:

As Utah attracts more data-intensive industries, decision-makers face a basic challenge: smart water policy depends on reliable data.

During The Hinckley Report, McKenzie Romero of the Utah News Dispatch tied data center transparency directly to Great Salt Lake protection, emphasizing that public understanding shapes conservation and long-term planning.

“All Utahns right now want to know where our water is going,” Romero said. “That’s what’s going to inform the decision making about how we can try to conserve water where we need to get water to the lake, [and] still have water for the things that we want to do.”

What they’re saying:

Marty Carpenter of Northbound Strategy acknowledged long-standing concerns about data center water use while pointing to rapid technological change.

“Data centers use a lot of water traditionally, although significant advancements now exist,” Carpenter said.

Those advancements already appear in parts of rural Utah, reshaping assumptions about what large-scale computing requires.

What to expect:

In Millard County, the proposed Creekstone Energy Gigasite signals a shift toward water-conserving design. The project relies on air-cooled systems rather than water-intensive cooling, limiting water use to basic human needs.

“They’re proposing to build down in Delta…data centers that don’t use any water,” Carpenter said. Facility water use would remain lower than that of a typical household.

HB 76 aims to distinguish projects like this from more water-intensive facilities, creating clearer expectations before construction begins.

The bottom line:

Transparency, not restriction, sits at the center of Utah’s approach. Reporting requirements give communities better tools to weigh growth against conservation while allowing innovation to continue.