Menomonie’s Water Crisis: The Case Against the 1.6 B Hyperscale Data Center

The July 2026 heat dome caused a massive spike in water demand, leading to a citywide precautionary boil-water notice and an irrigation ban. Now imagine adding to that mix a (1.6) billion hyperscale data center, which would hypothetically place even greater, potentially unsustainable strain on this municipal water and pressure system. What would happen?

According to the City of Menomonie’s 2016-2036 Comprehensive Plan, the municipal water system pumps from deep bedrock wells capable of producing up to 5,200,000 gallons per day. In a typical year, the city’s wells pull between 700 and 750 million gallons out of the local aquifer to supply residents and industry. Heavy water consumption during heat waves can exhaust Menomonie’s water towers, leading to low pressure and fire-safety risks. Low-pressure events can leave some parts of the city without water altogether and trigger a precautionary boil-water alert, as was issued on July 15th. This is a case for not adding in that hyperscale data center, because it could be far worse than ever expected. Even with the low ball estimated 75,000 gallons per day to cool thier machines, it would be a disaster for city residents.

If a $1.6 billion data center had been operating in Menomonie during the severe heat wave, it would have required an estimated 75,000 to 300,000+ gallons of water daily for cooling. This massive added strain would likely cause the municipal water pressure to collapse entirely, leaving all residents without water and forcing a complete system shutdown.

Hyperscale data centers rely on massive amounts of water for evaporative cooling. Competing with the heavy residential usage during the extreme heat wave would have severely depleted the elevated water towers.

According to the Sierra Club, traditionally, data centers use evaporative systems (similar to “sweating”) to cool servers. While this decreases electricity use, it places immense pressure on local treatment and distribution systems, heavily consuming potable water instead of returning it to the source. To limit water extraction, modern facilities often rely on closed-loop or air-cooled setups. However, these systems can lower efficiency, require chemical additives (such as biocides and anti-corrosives), and may shift the water-consumption burden to the electric grid (as power plants require substantial cooling).

Case in point, the July 2026 heat dome caused a massive spike in water demand, leading to a citywide precautionary boil-water notice and an irrigation ban; adding to that mix a (1.6) billion hyperscale data center, which would hypothetically place even greater, potentially unsustainable strain on this municipal water and pressure system. With the recent Menomonie Water Crisis: The Case Against the 1.6 B Hyperscale Data Center has been made!

Sources:

City of Menomonie’s 1016-2036 Comprehensive Plan: https://www.menomonie-wi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/400/Chapter-8-Utilities2016-Revised-PDF

Sierra Club: https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/default/files/2025-12/water-and-local-impacts-of-hyperscale-data-centers.pdf

Rachel Tilseth is a Menomonie, Wisconsin-based environmental writer, filmmaker, and owner of Wolves of Douglas County WI Films & Media. Lead writer at The Red Cedar Watershed Ledger. Her work explores the intricate relationships between humans, wildlife, and local ecosystems.

Jan O’Neill-editor at large. Jan edits the blog for grammatical accuracy and contributes story ideas.

Given Jan’s extensive 45-year nursing background, protecting the health and well-being of the Menomonie area has been her life’s work. With deep local roots in the Red Cedar River Watershed, she views environmental conservation as a natural extension of public health. Jan is dedicated to halting the proposed mega data center to preserve the community’s natural resources, advocating instead for sustainable, community-driven economic development that protects the long-term quality of our watershed.

The Red Cedar Watershed Ledger is based in Menomonie, Wisconsin, in the historic Red Cedar Basin.

Discover how our local economy can thrive without leaving the planet behind. We cover news and stories on sustainable economic development, highlighting initiatives that boost community prosperity, foster equity, and protect our local ecosystems.

We are producing a series of educational articles and interviews featuring city leaders, scientists, and residents to explore sustainable economic development in the region. What began as a grassroots effort by Menomonie residents to successfully pause a controversial data center has evolved into a broader mission championing environmentally conscious, community-driven economic growth.”

The Red Cedar Watershed Ledger, Menomonie, WI

Wolves of Douglas CO WI Films & Media, LLC

https://wolvesofdouglascountywisconsin.com