COMMITTEE AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Santa Clara Valley Water Commission
Government Code § 84308 Applies: Yes ? No ?
(If “YES” Complete Attachment A – Gov. Code § 84308)
SUBJECT: title
Receive and Discuss Information on Water Use at Data Centers and Opportunities for Collaboration.
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RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
Receive and discuss information on water use at data centers and opportunities for collaboration.
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SUMMARY:
At their January 2026 meeting, the Water Commission requested information and discussion of water use at data centers in Santa Clara County. Data centers are facilities that house computer systems used to store and process data. These computer systems require cooling to operate safely and effectively. Santa Clara County hosts approximately 91 data centers, representing about one third of data centers in California. Data center water use varies depending on cooling technology and the scale of a facility. Many data centers in the county use recycled water or other water-efficient cooling systems.
As a water wholesaler and sustainable groundwater management agency, Valley Water does not have access to specific water use data for data centers in the County and instead relies on information from water retailers or from environmental review documents. Currently, data centers are not a separate billing class for Santa Clara County’s retailers and are part of the Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) sector, which accounts for approximately 26% of water use in the County. Water use in the CII sector has not increased in recent years. Valley Water tracks water use in the County to plan the need for investment in infrastructure to continue to serve safe, clean water to the community.
Valley Water does not have a role in approving or permitting data centers. Depending on available information, staff reviews environmental documents for proposed facilities, provides technical support for recycled water use, and collaborates with citi...
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