EL PASO, Texas – (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso City Council is set to hear a detailed briefing from El Paso Water on long-term water supply and infrastructure planning in Northeast El Paso, including the area connected to the Meta data center project.
The presentation follows concerns about how much water the Meta data center could use and whether existing infrastructure in that part of the city can support it.
El Paso Water’s presentation will walk council members through master planning for the Northeast area, including plans from 2006 and 2009.
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FULL PRESENTATION:
The 2006 plan envisioned low-density housing and a school, with the area projected to use 2.3 million gallons of water per day.
By 2009, the master plan changed to include low- to high-density residential development, commercial development and a school, with projected use increasing to 3.7 million gallons per day.
The utility is also expected to discuss broader regional water planning, including how Texas planning looks ahead 50 years at demand, supply and strategies to meet future water needs.
For the Meta project, El Paso Water estimates the site will use an average of 480,000 gallons per day.
The agreement between El Paso Water and Meta sets a maximum water allocation of 2.5 million gallons per day, but the presentation notes that does not mean Meta would use that amount every day.
The site would likely reach that maximum only on days when temperatures are above 117 degrees.
The presentation also states Meta’s projected use would be less than 1% of total water usage.
The slide does not specify Northeast El Paso and appears to compare Meta’s use to El Paso Water’s broader system.
No action or vote is expected from council during the meeting.
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