TEXAS — In a corner of Wilson County about an hour southeast of San Antonio, a data center is quietly moving in.
Perrin Hatcher lives near the future site, just outside of Stockdale. Hatcher says a project such as a data center could change the quiet country life they’re used to and says he and his neighbors all share one major concern: water usage.
“It sounds like they’re going to dry everything up pretty quick,” Hatcher said.
Many residents in this area get water from private wells that pump from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, including Hatcher. Most are shallow in comparison to commercial wells, and Hatcher worries about his family’s future water supply.
“If they start sucking out all the water from the aquifer faster than it can fill up, bye-bye everybody’s water,” he said.
According to Misae’s website, permits allowing them to pump up to 2 million gallons of water per day have been approved. However, a representative for Evergreen Underground Water Conservation District—which controls this area of the aquifer—tells Spectrum News no new permits have been filed for the project.
Wilson County Commissioners Jeffery Pierdolla and John Akin tell Spectrum News that the county has received no formal information about the project yet, though they have received questions from constituents.
“It’s caused a lot of confusion, and it’s hard to get people answers when no one has formally come to the county,” Pierdolla said.
While the county would not have the power to outright deny the project, they wish they were more involved in its planning, especially as more of these projects look to rural areas that neighbor big cities.
“We have a little suburb northwest of us called San Antonio,” Akin joked. He says the minimal regulation of a county with proximity to the talent and resources of a city has been drawing solar farms and similar projects to the area. This would be the first data center in Wilson County.
“What used to be ‘too far for me to live or consider putting a business,’ now it’s in the strike zone,” he said.
The commissioners agreed that job and housing growth would be a good thing for their county. However, they want to make sure their resources can keep up with that growth.
Spectrum News reached out to Misae for comment, and we are still waiting to hear back.