San Antonio’s Data Center Pitch Still Needs Project-Level Water Receipts

BadPD source-check, June 19, 2026; source date June 18, 2026: San Antonio is making the strongest version of the data-center water argument: use recycled water, diversify supply, and avoid making drinking-water customers carry avoidable industrial demand. That is a better path than pretending data centers use no water, and better than reflexively banning compute.

Axios San Antonio reports that San Antonio Water System says recycled water gives the city an edge for data centers. SAWS’ own pages show why the pitch is plausible: the utility says it manages a diversified water portfolio, runs one of the largest direct recycled-water systems in the country, and reports a large 2025 recycled-water distribution through its system.

That still does not make every data center approval clean. A citywide recycled-water system is infrastructure. A specific data-center approval still needs project-level receipts.

The Better Path

SAWS says San Antonio moved from total reliance on the Edwards Aquifer in 1995 to a diversified portfolio with multiple sources and projects. Its water-supplies page says the utility distributed 269,848 acre-feet of potable water in 2025 and delivered 60,503 acre-feet of recycled water through the recycled-water system.

SAWS’ recycled-water page says the purple-pipe system spans more than 130 miles and serves more than 80 recycled-water customers, including industrial and commercial users. SAWS says the system can provide up to 25,000 acre-feet per year to customers and that almost 19,000 acre-feet was delivered directly to recycled-water customers in 2025.

That is the kind of public infrastructure data-center developers should be pushed toward: non-potable supply where feasible, documented capacity, disclosed contracts, and reduced pressure on drinking-water sources.

The Receipts Still Missing

The San Antonio Report has already flagged the other side: more than 20 data centers exist in the area, more are coming, and planned facilities have requested both drinking water and recycled water. That is the point where a strong regional system is not enough. Each project needs a public file.

BadPD’s minimum file should include: potable water request, recycled-water request, cooling method, peak summer draw, drought curtailment rules, wastewater handling, chemical treatment, leak detection, backup generation, CPS Energy load analysis, grid-upgrade cost allocation, and whether existing residents face any rate or reliability exposure.

San Antonio may have a better answer than many cities. It still has to prove the answer project by project.

Confirmed, Alleged, Pending

Confirmed: Axios reported that SAWS says recycled water gives San Antonio an edge for data centers. SAWS says it has a diversified water portfolio and reports 2025 potable and recycled-water distribution. SAWS says its recycled-water system spans more than 130 miles and serves more than 80 customers. San Antonio Report has reported that planned data centers are requesting both drinking water and recycled water.

Alleged or disputed: whether any specific proposed data center can avoid burdening drinking-water customers, ratepayers, or the grid depends on contracts and utility studies that need to be reviewed project by project.

Pending: project water contracts, cooling designs, drought rules, CPS Energy interconnection/load studies, ratepayer protections, recycled-water reservation terms, and public disclosure of whether any promised water strategy is enforceable or only aspirational.

BadPD Bottom Line

San Antonio shows what “build it right” can look like: recycled water, diversified supply, desalination, aquifer storage, and public infrastructure that can reduce pressure on drinking water. That is the lane BadPD wants more cities to pressure developers into.

But “we have recycled water” is not the final answer. The final answer is a contract, a cooling plan, a drought plan, a power plan, and a ratepayer shield for every project.

Source Trail

• Axios San Antonio: SAWS says recycled water gives San Antonio an edge for data centers (June 18, 2026) – Local reporting on SAWS water-supply diversification, recycled water, desalination, ASR, and data-center positioning.
• San Antonio Report: San Antonio data centers, water, and electricity (March 2026) – Local accountability reporting on existing and planned data centers, drinking-water requests, recycled-water requests, and power concerns.
• SAWS: Water Supplies (Accessed June 19, 2026) – Primary utility receipt for SAWS’ diversified water portfolio and 2025 distribution report, including potable and recycled-water volumes.
• SAWS: Recycled Water Program (Accessed June 19, 2026) – Primary utility receipt for SAWS’ direct recycled-water system, 130+ miles of purple pipe, over 80 customers, capacity, and 2025 recycled-water distribution.
• SAWS: Water Recycling (Accessed June 19, 2026) – Primary utility receipt on recycled water, biosolids, and methane gas as part of SAWS’ water-recycling system.