San Angelo City Council caps data center cooling water by ordinance
San Angelo passed Ordinance 2026-078, which adds Section 11.02.043 to the city water service rules. It puts hard numbers on how much city water a data center may take for cooling. Initial cooling system fill can't exceed 8.0 gallons per square foot of gross building area for each building. Routine makeup water can't exceed six percent of the installed cooling loop volume per building per calendar year, and cooling water has to be metered separately from other use. Any exceedance needs City Manager approval and has to be reported in writing to the City Council within five business days. The ordinance was introduced with a public hearing on May 19th, 2026 and passed on June 16th, 2026, taking effect the same day.
How to take part
The ordinance is adopted and in force. The City of San Angelo publishes the three adopted data center ordinances and the Northeast Sector Master Plan work on its Data Center Information page. City Council meets in open session where residents may speak. Exceedance reports go to the City Council within five business days, so the record of any overuse arrives on a public agenda.
Where
1 county. In San Angelo.
Dates
| Date | What | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-19 | hearing | Introduced with public hearing |
| 2026-06-16 | ordered | Finally passed by City Council, reported 7 to 0 |
| 2026-06-16 | effective | Ordinance effective date |
The evidence
Every fact above rests on one of these. The words are the source's own.
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SAN ANGELO TEXAS, AMENDING CHAPTER 11 “UTILITIES,” ARTICLE 11.02 “WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS,” DIVISION 2 “WATER SERVICE,” BY ADDING SECTION 11.02.043 “DATA CENTER”; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; AND, PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATEOrdinance 2026-078, Official Minute Record Volume 2026, June 16, 2026 Primary source, official
Initial Fill: Initial cooling system fill shall not exceed 8.0 gallons per square foot of Gross Building Area (as defined in the approved building permit) for each Data Center building.Ordinance 2026-078, Exhibit A, Section 11.02.43 Data Center Primary source, official
Annual Makeup Water: Routine cooling system makeup water (to replace minor losses from valve packing, gasket weepage, and maintenance drain-downs) shall not exceed six percent (6%) of the total installed cooling loop volume per Data Center building per calendar year.Ordinance 2026-078, Exhibit A, Section 11.02.43 Data Center Primary source, official
Cooling water usage shall be metered separately from other water usage at Data Center facilities.Ordinance 2026-078, Exhibit A, Section 11.02.43 Data Center Primary source, official
All Data Center facilities shall employ closed-loop cooling systems, or similar cooling technology, which minimizes water use, and eliminates the need for continuous withdrawals from the City’s public water supply for heat rejection.Ordinance 2026-078, Exhibit A, Section 11.02.43 Data Center Primary source, official
INTRODUCED with public hearing the 19th day of May 2026 and finally PASSED this 16th day of June 2026.Ordinance 2026-078, Official Minute Record Volume 2026, June 16, 2026 Primary source, official
Approved 7-0 at the June 16, 2026 City Council meeting.Data Center Information, City of San Angelo Primary source, official