Document Type

Report

Publisher

Utah State University

Publication Date

9-2026

First Page

1

Last Page

11

Creative Commons License

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

Abstract

As data center development accelerates in the western U.S, there are growing concerns about impacts to land, water, and air. This is especially true in rural communities, where development is rapidly increasing and communities have fewer resources. Broadly, data centers increasingly face vocal opposition from siting communities, who are concerned about water use, energy demand, and air quality. However, the impacts of data centers are highly context specific and localized, depending on regional energy availability, cooling technologies, and, increasingly, state-specific regulations.

Over the last year, Utah policymakers have increased efforts to monitor data centers and mitigate their impacts. However, such requirements only partially address data centers’ overall impacts on water resources, as the energy used by data centers – including for low water-use technologies – has its own water demands. A lack of transparency regarding the water-energy nexus complicates decision-making around data centers, including how to best manage them in ways that address the concerns of siting communities.

Through the survey documented below, we seek to gather data that helps us understand how Utah residents perceive data centers in general and in their own communities and what are the primary factors driving their support or opposition. Results from the survey will help to reveal what factors shape community concerns in Utah, providing insights for policymakers and practitioners to address these concerns and inform outreach. Lessons learned from our project will be useful at the state and community level in Utah and across the West as the region struggles to manage growing water demand, energy use, and local impacts of data center expansion.

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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