A new law passed by the Nebraska Legislature will require data centers to report their annual water consumption and power demand to the state. The measure aims to address concerns over water scarcity in a state facing persistent drought.
The legislation mandates greater transparency from an industry often described as a black box. Jesse Bradley, director of the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, called the law a great start that will aid future planning.
Data centers rely on water primarily for cooling servers. Google reported its Nebraska facilities used 732 million gallons in 2025. Meta’s Sarpy County site withdrew between 26.7 million and 37.5 million gallons annually from 2020 to 2024.
Local officials and researchers have raised alarms about expanding facilities in water-stressed areas. John Winkler of the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resource District said it makes no sense to place data centers where water supplies are already insecure.
The state currently lacks an official count of data centers. Regulators will now assess remaining information gaps after the new reporting requirements take effect.
