Texas Water Development Board denied a petition to give data centers their own water demand category and adopted the 2027 State Water Plan the same day
The Texas Water Development Board took up a petition for rulemaking on July 23rd, 2026. It asked the agency to project water demand for data centers and crypto mining as a standalone industrial category. The petition was filed by Margaret Hill and co petitioners, and the board denied it. At the same meeting the board considered adoption of the 2027 State Water Plan (Phase I), which contains no separate demand line for high density computing load. Board members noted that regional water plans feed the state plan and can be amended as better data arrives. The decision means the state's central water planning document carries data center demand folded inside broader categories rather than on its own.
How to take part
TWDB board meetings are held at 1700 Congress Avenue in the Stephen F. Austin Building, Room 170, Austin, and by Teams. Anyone wanting to address the board completes a visitor registration card. Remote participants email the form to Customer_Service@twdb.texas.gov by noon the day before. Agenda item 26 is a general public comment period on any matter within the board's jurisdiction.
Where
Statewide. This decision applies across Texas rather than to a named county.
Dates
| Date | What | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-22 | statutory deadline | deadline for remote speakers to submit the visitor registration form for that meeting |
| 2026-07-23 | ordered | TWDB board meeting at which the petition for rulemaking was considered and the 2027 State Water Plan (Phase I) was taken up for adoption |
The evidence
Every fact above rests on one of these. The words are the source's own.
Consider acting on a petition for rulemaking filed by Margaret Hill and Co-Petitioners related to a dedicated industrial water-use category for Data Centers and Crypto-Mining OperationsAgenda for TWDB Board Meeting - July 23, 2026 | Texas Water Development Board Primary source, official
Consider adoption of the 2027 State Water Plan (Phase I)Agenda for TWDB Board Meeting - July 23, 2026 | Texas Water Development Board Primary source, official
the three-member board denied a petition by Wimberley resident Margaret Elizabeth HillWater development board says 'limited' info available about data centers for 2027 state water plan | Community Impact Journalism
I don't want folks to think that if it's not in the water plan, someone's not thinking about it or someone's not considering it.Water development board says 'limited' info available about data centers for 2027 state water plan | Community Impact Journalism