Document Type

Report

Publisher

Utah State University

Publication Date

2026

First Page

1

Last Page

3

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

Data center development is expanding across the western U.S., raising concerns about water, energy, land, and air quality, particularly in rural communities experiencing rapid growth. However, data center impacts are highly context-specific, depending on factors such as regional energy availability, cooling technologies, facility design, and state and local regulations. In Utah, policymakers are increasingly addressing data center resource use, but direct water-use reporting captures only part of the picture: the energy used to operate data centers can also have water demands. Greater understanding of this water-energy nexus and of community concerns can help inform decision-making. Using representative survey data collected in August of 2026 (see last section for details), this summary provides an overview of how nearly 900 Utah residents perceive data centers, both generally and in their own communities, and identifies factors associated with support for or opposition to data center development. The findings provide insight into community concerns that can inform policymaking, planning, and public outreach as Utah and other western states manage continued data center growth.

Comments

Funding Sources: The Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air at Utah State University, The College of Arts and Sciences at Utah State University, and the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station

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