America's largest groundwater reserve now faces data centers under construction directly above it.
Recent analysis reveals that multiple proposed and under construction AI data centers lie directly atop or adjacent to the Ogallala Aquifer. This vast underground freshwater reservoir ranks as the largest in the United States and stands among the most critical groundwater resources in North America.
The aquifer spans eight states. It accounts for approximately 30 percent of groundwater used for irrigation nationwide and sustains about one fifth of United States agricultural output.
Not every data center will draw water straight from the aquifer itself. Several companies have shifted toward more water efficient cooling technologies while others have yet to reveal their specific plans.
Researchers however highlight the heavy concentration of large scale AI developments in Texas and Wyoming. This buildup prompts serious questions about the overall strain on a resource that is already stressed.
Contemporary AI data centers produce massive heat loads and demand advanced cooling solutions. A single large hyperscale site can consume as much as 5 million gallons of water each day. That amount equals the daily water requirements of a town housing tens of thousands of people.
Estimates indicate that United States data centers directly used roughly 17 billion gallons of water in 2023. Including the water needed to generate their electricity the annual total could surpass 160 billion gallons. These volumes are set to increase further as AI infrastructure grows rapidly.
The Ogallala Aquifer remains especially fragile due to its extremely slow recharge rate. Groundwater levels in some locations have declined by more than 200 feet or 61 meters. Certain portions of the aquifer might require centuries or even millennia to replenish.
Specialists note that facility location represents only one consideration. The selected cooling methods the chosen water sources and comprehensive long term oversight will ultimately shape the real environmental consequences.
Leaving your cat alone for an entire day is now against the law in Sweden.
According to 2026 regulations from the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Jordbruksverket), owners must ensure their pets' social and emotional needs are met alongside physical care.
Owners are legally required to check on and interact with their cats at least twice a day.
James Talarico: “Young people can’t afford to buy a home, but Jeff Bezos has 12. Young people can’t afford to fill up their gas tank, but Mark Zuckerberg is launching helicopters from his mega-yacht. Young people pay more than their fair share of income taxes, but someone like Elon Musk can get away without paying a penny”
The law applies to all of us - including federal officers.
We recently put the Dept. of Homeland Security & US Dept. of Justice on notice: they must halt all unlawful actions by federal officers in Oregon. We are actively monitoring federal conduct.
No one is above the law.
Just one day after a gunman murdered five people at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Herschel Walker released a new ad attacking transgender athletes.
Disgusting, despicable and shameful. Walker should pull the ad IMMEDIATELY.
A woman who was visiting Ohio for her brother’s wedding was denied treatment for a miscarriage and discharged from the ER, even though she’d been bleeding profusely for hours and the fetus had no heartbeat.
Today seems like a good time to remind you that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment bars anyone from holding office who has “engaged in insurrection” against the United States of America.
Other high income countries don’t have school shootings on a near daily basis. It’s not because they have clear backpacks, cops in every school, better doors or armed teachers. It’s because they protect kids. Not guns.