KUNA, Idaho — Data centers like the massive 960,000 square foot Meta facility in Kuna require massive amounts of water to cool their equipment.
Meanwhile, the Senate Resources and Environment Committee recently voted to send House Bill 895 (HB-895), which regulates data center water consumption, to the House floor.
Rep. Britt Raybould (R - District 34) co-sponsored the bill with House Speaker Mike Moyle (R - District 10) to get ahead of the growing concern surrounding the supply of water to large data centers.
See where lawmakers and local leaders stand on House Bill 895
“This bill stipulates that starting July 1st of 2026, any system that begins construction may not use water for cooling purposes as a consumptive use— unless that water is supplied by an existing water district that can contract with them to provide the water,” said Rep. Raybould of the bill's primary aim.
Senior Reporter Don Nelson went to City Hall and asked Kuna Mayor Joe Stear about the agreement they have with the soon-to-be-completed Meta Data Center in their industrial district.
“When they first came in, it looked like they were going to be using an awful lot of water, so we talked with them about that," said Stear. "They went through an entire redesign, which actually ended up taking them about an extra year to get that done, and we went to a process where they use more cooling fans and not so much water."
Asked if they have come to city hall requesting more water, Stear responded, “No, in fact, if they do need more water, it would require another well."
Cynthia Gibson from the Idaho Conservation League testified in favor of the bill.
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“We support HB 895 because of its proactive approach to one of the most significant environmental impacts of data centers, and that’s consumption.”
According to Rep. Raybould, this bill will help ensure that Idaho’s limited water resources will continue to be available for existing uses, such as agriculture and industry.
The bill passed the committee and will now go to the House Floor for a vote.
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