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Hays County leaders concerned about worsening water levels
Hays County leaders are sounding the alarm over what they call a growing water emergency. A proposed data center in San Marcos is adding fuel to the debate.
HAYS COUNTY, Texas - Hays County leaders are sounding the alarm over what they call a growing water emergency.
A proposed data center in San Marcos is adding fuel to the debate.
What they're saying:
"We could literally burn down entire cities if we're not careful. We've seen it. This isn't doomsday fearmongering. We've literally seen this happen within the past couple of years on our own TVs," Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said.
Hays County is facing what Judge Ruben Becerra calls a severe and worsening water crisis, with water levels nearing historic lows.
The Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District reported it would take 30 inches of rain in six months to end the drought, with just a two-percent chance of that actually happening. Because of that, Judge Becerra is calling for pumping reductions, halting non-essential outdoor water use, and suspending permits for high-impact industrial operations.
"It is more of an awareness tool where we are taking proactive steps so that we don't end up in a bad corner," Judge Becerra said.
Dig deeper:
One of the developments raising concerns is a proposed data center near San Marcos, planned by CloudBurst Data Centers. It is one of several data centers proposed for the area.
During a May 2025 Hays County commissioner court meeting, a CloudBurst representative said that data centers are essential to daily life.
"Without data centers, you can’t have commerce," CloudBurst co-founder Cynthia Thompson said. "I understand you may not want it next door to you, but it has to go somewhere."
Judge Becerra said his concern is water use without clear oversight.
"Are you against data centers coming here then?" FOX 7 Austin Reporter Meredith Aldis asked Judge Becerra.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Water manage concern with new data centers
Nationwide, Texas is one of the states with the greatest number of data centers, and in the past year, communities have raised concerns about them across Central Texas.
"What I am against is the untethered, unsupervised use or monitoring of our water supply. I am a pro-business individual and if there is an intelligent way where this can be shown that it doesn't affect us negatively, I have no problem with it, but until I am shown that, I will have concerns," Judge Becerra replied.
He said he has received many concerns from residents as well.
"One of the residents from that community stood up in that forum, and he said, the city of San Marcos would not let us fill our community pool with water because there wasn't enough water. Let that sink in," Judge Becerra said. "And there is a data center on the horizon just next door to them, and if the city approves that data center, knowing that they didn't want to let them fill their community pool, well, you'll know where their priorities lie."
Judge Becerra said he has made it a point not to incentivize data centers.
"The argument of, well, this is a billion-dollar investment. Well, it doesn't matter if there's nobody around to benefit from that tax break because they ran out of water and ran everyone out," Judge Becerra said.
What's next:
CloudBurst reported they expect to be operating later this year.
Ongoing discussions and public hearings continue regarding this project.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis