Indio Sustainability Commission votes to more closely study impacts of data centers

The Indio Sustainability Commission voted Monday to formally add the oversight of data centers to its official work plan, citing mounting concerns over the facilities’ energy and water demands.

The move comes as the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) faces increasing scrutiny over its handling of data center applications. During the meeting, commissioners expressed a desire for greater transparency of the process 

Commissioner David Getka, who requested the item be brought forward, highlighted the resource requirements of these centers, which house the servers and hardware that power the internet and artificial intelligence. 

“I have concerns about the water usage and requirements, because we have several states fighting over Colorado River water,” Getka said. “If Arizona has already got some of these large data centers, and they are already adding probably more, we have to think about what happens here.”

The local concern mirrors a national trend where the rapid expansion of AI technology is driving a surge in data center construction. Across the country, these facilities are being criticized for consuming vast amounts of electricity and requiring millions of gallons of water for cooling systems.

In Imperial County, a proposed project has become a regional flashpoint for this debate. According to a report from KPBS, the project aims to build a nearly one-million-square-foot facility that would consume up to 750,000 gallons of water a day and require an estimated 330 megawatts of power.

Critics have raised alarms because the project is being processed through a ministerial review, which allows developers to bypass the California Environmental Quality Act.

In December, IID hosted a public workshop to address concerns about data centers, but commissioners found the meeting lacked specifics from IID.

“It was quite a lively discussion from the community,” Chair Anetha Lue said. “IID wouldn’t provide certain details. They were very caged about what they provided.”

IID maintains that data center developers are responsible for the total cost of any necessary electrical infrastructure upgrades, ensuring that the burden does not fall on existing ratepayers.

However, commissioners remained skeptical about the long-term impact on local infrastructure. Commissioner Pete Chryss, who sat on an IID advisory board before it was eventually disbanded, said the Coachella Valley already struggles with power availability even without massive data centers.

“We were having all these issues with getting permanent power at certain places within our city, like the low-income housing on 111 and Jefferson, the Hawaiian Ono and a couple other restaurants north of the 10,” he said.

He acknowledged some progress, including the new substation coming to Avenue 58, “But it’s still not gonna be enough power to sustain where we’re going and how fast we’re growing,” he said.

Commissioners voted unanimously to integrate data centers into its work plan, making it a priority focus, and said it will continue to track IID’s policy developments and inform the City Council when it has completed more research.

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