LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Thousands of data centers are popping up across the country driven by demand for cloud computing, digital storage and A.I. — and experts say demand for data centers could triple by 2030.
All week long from Sept. 7-11, KTNV anchor Anjali Patel and I are taking a look at the state of data center development and regulation in Southern Nevada, in our series we're calling "Data vs. Desert." Tune in for our daily reports on Good Morning Las Vegas and later editions of Channel 13 News.
That's going to take a lot of water. Here's why:
WATCH | DATA VS. DESERT: PART 2
Inside data centers are rows and rows of server racks that hold computers and other IT equipment. All that constant digital and electrical processing creates heat.
Imagine your personal computer getting hot after a few hours of use. It's not a big issue on a small scale, but multiply that, and you're going to want to make sure your technology can stay cool to not overheat, fry and break.
So why need the water? Well, that's where air conditioning comes in.
"The primary water demand for a data center is cooling using evaporative cooling technology, which is very water intensive to be able to do, but not uncommon in our existing community here in Las Vegas," Bronson Mack, public information officer for the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), explained.
Every casino on the strip, high school in the valley, and most big box stores like Target or Walmart use what's called Evaporative Cooling. This technology is the second largest consumptive use of water in Southern Nevada — using nearly 10% of our Colorado River water allocation annually. Essentially, evaporative cooling systems work by moving air through a continual mist of water.
Breaking Down The Data
Because of that, some data centers in our desert community use a lot of water. For example, a data center operated by Google in Henderson used more than 404 million gallons of water in 2025.
To take a closer look, Channel 13 obtained the water records for this Google facility at 560 W. Warm Springs Road for the last few years:
Google LLC Data Center in Henderson | Water use according to data retrieved from city of Henderson:
Another data center — or multiple data centers — that Channel 13 obtained records for is Switch. The Switch campus in the southwest contains multiple data centers. The facility is set to continue expanding and was recently unanimously approved to do so by the Clark County Zoning Commission.
According to calculations, the eye-catching campus off the I-215 and South Jones Blvd used more than 339 million gallons of water in 2025. Check out a detailed table of each building's total here:
Switch LTD Data Center Buildings | Water use according to data retrieved from LVVWD in 2025:
A Water-Saving Strategy At Work
Big buildings need big cooling, and that's true for every commercial spot located in the Mojave Desert.
Because Southern Nevada is hard-pressed for water, as made clear by Lake Mead reaching its lowest levels on record recently, SNWA pressed pause on the traditional Evaporative Cooling method beginning with a board vote in 2021.
"Whether it's a new data center or a new hotel or a new industrial building, all of these types of new properties have to comply with the evaporative cooling moratorium," Mack said.
"Now what that means for us here in Southern Nevada is we're ensuring that new development in our community is water smart, that it is not placing a significant strain on the community's water supply, and we are one of the few communities that have actually implemented these kinds of measures to help ensure sustainability not just today but also for tomorrow," he continued.
Because of that, newer facilities attracted to build in Southern Nevada have had to pivot.
NOVVA is one data center in North Las Vegas with a new strategy to keep cool. According to SNWA, it uses a closed-loop system that uses a lot less water — 551,000 gallons of water in 2025.
The data backs that up. According to another Channel 13 records request to the city of North Las Vegas, two metered locations for 6115 N. Nicco Way add up to a tiny fraction of the water used in comparison to Google in 2025.
NOVVA Data Center | Water use according to data retrieved from city of North Las Vegas in 2025:
Channel 13 sent multiple requests to NOVVA to check out their water-saving technology, but they declined to be part of this coverage.
"I would say the industry can be relatively opaque and that can make it difficult to find data, especially at the site level," Erik Henzl, a research scientist and environmental economist with the Desert Research Institute, said.
Looking into the Facts
Because the data center industry can be difficult to pin down — exactly how it's growing and what kind of resources are required to support the technology — the Desert Research Institute did some digging.
Henzl and hydrologist Sean McKenna co-authored a comprehensive report, "Data Center Water and Electricity Consumption in Nevada," in January of this year.
"There's not a lot of water. Driest state in the union," McKenna said.
Their aim? To learn how the budding industry could impact the Silver State's most precious and limited resources.
According to their research, twelve planned data center projects identified in an NV Energy planning document would use more than three billion gallons of water annually by 2033. That's enough water for 31 golf courses or drinking water for 24 million people.
The significant water demand was calculated by combining cooling needs and indirect sources.
"That’s the water it takes to generate the electricity. That water use is actually larger than the water use for cooling," McKenna explained.
The same report notes data centers can also bring jobs, tax revenue and economic growth. Google alone has invested more than $2.2 billion in Nevada since 2019, supporting more than 2,500 jobs.
Check out more from their research here:
Public Pushback
"I think these places should be using renewable energy and shouldn't be using water from Lake Mead," said Drake York, a 24-year-old living in Las Vegas.
York told Channel 13 he opposes construction of data centers in the desert, primarily because of the water use.
"It's crazy to me that people are willing to suck us dry of our resources and then leave us floating," York said. "We're already having a water shortage."
He's not the only one with concerns.
At a July protest ahead of a Clark County Commissioners meeting, a group of locals gathered to demand a data center moratorium. In interviews, water use was among the top concerns.
"Obviously water use is a huge one. I know that's really big for everyone across the country," Las Vegas local Paige Masmore told Channel 13.
"I do believe they take up way too much water," echoed Vonnie Mascarenas.
