SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico lawmakers spent part of Monday examining the water demands of large data centers and what those projects could mean for the state’s limited water resources.
The discussion came during a legislative committee hearing where officials from the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer emphasized that water remains a scarce resource across the state.
“We don’t have excess water in New Mexico anywhere,” said Nat Chakeres, general counsel for the Office of the State Engineer.
Much of the conversation focused on Project Jupiter, the proposed $165 billion data center campus under development in Doña Ana County.
State officials said the project’s water use has fluctuated during the construction phase. According to testimony provided to lawmakers, construction-related demand has at times reached roughly 1 million gallons of water per day, or about 1,000 acre-feet annually.
Officials noted that water use associated with the project remains within the legally available supply for the area.
Project developers have also updated plans for the facility. According to testimony presented during the hearing, Oracle has stated the data center will use non-potable water rather than public drinking water for cooling operations once the facility becomes operational.
Lawmakers also heard from representatives of Meta, which operates a data center in Los Lunas. Company officials highlighted efforts to reduce consumption, support water conservation projects, and publicly report water use.
Several lawmakers raised concerns about transparency and the long-term effects of future large-scale data center developments in New Mexico.
The discussion comes as legal proceedings surrounding Project Jupiter continue. Last week, the New Mexico Supreme Court issued a temporary stay affecting an air-quality permit hearing connected to the development while legal challenges move forward.
