San Antonio data centers guzzled 463 million gallons of water as area faced drought

Despite five years of below-average rainfall and longterm drought gripping the region, a pair of San Antonio data centers used a combined 463 million gallons of water in 2023 and 2024, Techie + Gamers magazine reports, citing a recent study. The data in the analysis, compiled by San Antonio Water System, revealed that the Alamo City facilities run by Microsoft and the Army Corps guzzled water equivalent to the usage of tens of thousands of households. The revelation comes as SAWS enforces Stage 3 watering rules, meaning San Antonio residents are only allowed to water lawns once per week and on a specially designated day.