El Paso Leaders Engage with Meta on Controversial Data Center Project

A roundtable discussion held at City Hall brought together El Paso city officials, Meta representatives, and community critics to address concerns surrounding the proposed Northeast data center. Mayor Renard Johnson emphasized the need for ongoing dialogue to rebuild trust and address issues related to water usage, noise pollution, and economic development. Participants raised questions about health impacts and the adequacy of responses from Meta, with calls for further community engagement. Meta plans to implement water restoration projects and aims to replenish more water than it consumes, while the water utility reported that the center's demand would only slightly increase overall water usage in the city.

Key Details: • Next community discussions with Meta will be organized by city officials. • Meta's data center is projected to use 400,000 to 500,000 gallons of water per day. • El Paso Water will plan for water needs based on historical drought conditions. • Meta will collaborate with DigDeep to provide running water to 28 homes in El Paso County.