Colorado River Cascade

Google (Stone Applications LLC) · Direct (CAP)

USDA NAIP, acquired 2023-09-15. Center point 33.3510, -111.6395; site context, point location, not parcel boundary (address-derived facility point; not verified against official parcel geometry). Shows the campus and adjacent early works during buildout. Source: Planetary Computer STAC item · USDA FPAC-BC Geospatial Enterprise Operations. Public-domain USDA NAIP.

A large hyperscale campus with disclosed, direct Colorado River dependency — roughly half its water sourced from the river via CAP — in the second-largest US data-center water market, under extreme Phoenix heat and a declared river shortage. Any CAP water is Arizona's junior Lower Basin allocation, first cut in shortage.

Announced ~150 MW is a directory figure, not utility-energized capacity. Runners-up: Meta Mesa; Microsoft Goodyear (transitioning to zero-water).

Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing LLC · Direct (IID, litigated)

USDA NAIP, acquired 2022-05-30. Center point 32.8600, -115.5300; site context, point location, not parcel boundary (discovery-grade facility point; not verified against official parcel source). Pre-construction farmland; no data-center structures present. Source: Planetary Computer STAC item · USDA FPAC-BC Geospatial Enterprise Operations. Public-domain USDA NAIP.

A 330 MW AI campus actively litigating for direct Colorado River water in the basin's most senior-rights district, amid dueling lawsuits and an emergency-pause landscape. IID is the only fresh-water source in the Imperial Valley; the developer's zero-impact-via-fallowing argument is an operator claim, not a regulator finding.

Proposed and litigated; Google anchor-tenant linkage unconfirmed; fallowing-offset is an operator claim, not a regulator finding. Runner-up: Coachella Valley Technology Campus (larger, but under moratorium with a terminated development agreement).

Google (Jasmine Development LLC) · Direct (Lake Mead)

USDA NAIP, acquired 2022-06-10. Center point 36.0297, -114.9800; site context, point location, not parcel boundary (address-derived facility point; not verified against official parcel geometry). Developed urban context near Warm Springs Rd. Source: Planetary Computer STAC item · USDA FPAC-BC Geospatial Enterprise Operations. Public-domain USDA NAIP.

The largest single Southern Nevada data-center consumer of Colorado River water, drawing consumptively from Lake Mead in a region ~90% river-dependent during a declared shortage. Its consumption reflects legacy evaporative design that would not be permitted new today.

Legacy design; would not be permitted new under the 2024 evaporative-cooling ban. No Southern Nevada runner-up at this scale (Storey County is Truckee-basin).

QTS Realty Trust · Transbasin + grid

USDA NAIP, acquired 2023-09-25. Center point 39.7600, -104.6800; site context, point location, not parcel boundary (discovery-grade facility point; not verified against official parcel source). Near-greenfield parcel south of Denver International Airport. Source: Planetary Computer STAC item · USDA FPAC-BC Geospatial Enterprise Operations. Public-domain USDA NAIP.

Colorado's largest data center, served by a municipal supply about half sourced from Colorado River transbasin diversions, with heavy grid coupling and an active air-permit contest — but very low direct water use (closed-loop, ~2,400 gal/day).

Colorado River exposure is indirect (imported supply + grid), justifying Watch not Active. Runners-up: Raeden Colorado Springs; CoreSite Denver.

Meta Platforms · Transbasin (San Juan–Chama)

USDA NAIP, acquired 2022-06-04. Center point 34.8149, -106.7531; site context, point location, not parcel boundary (discovery-grade facility point; not verified against official parcel source). Established campus on the western bank of the Rio Grande. Source: Planetary Computer STAC item · USDA FPAC-BC Geospatial Enterprise Operations. Public-domain USDA NAIP.

New Mexico's dominant hyperscale campus on the drought-stressed Rio Grande, served by a municipal portfolio that includes a small San Juan–Chama (Colorado River tributary) transbasin allocation. The Colorado River share is small in volume, so exposure is indirect.

Primary supply is local groundwater / Rio Grande; the San Juan–Chama share is small in volume (Watch). Bernalillo County adopted stricter data-center rules Feb 2026.

ValorC3 / Tonaquint Data Centers · In-basin tributary

USDA NAIP, acquired 2021-09-05. Center point 37.0750, -113.6060; site context, point location, not parcel boundary (discovery-grade facility point; not verified against official parcel source). St. George urban context; small facility not individually resolvable. Source: Planetary Computer STAC item · USDA FPAC-BC Geospatial Enterprise Operations. Public-domain USDA NAIP.

A modest but genuinely in-basin data center whose municipal supply depends on the Colorado River system (Virgin and Santa Clara rivers) in one of the fastest-growing, most water-stressed US counties. Utah's largest campuses sit outside the Colorado River basin, so this in-basin site is small.

In-basin but small (Niche); Utah's largest campuses are outside the Colorado River basin (Great Salt Lake). Grand County (Moab) discourages Colorado-River-dependent data centers.

Meta Platforms · Transbasin (Little Snake)

USDA NAIP, acquired 2022-06-21. Center point 41.0779, -104.8255; site context, point location, not parcel boundary (discovery-grade facility point; not verified against official parcel source). Pre-construction high-plains parcel; announced July 2024, so no structures visible. Source: Planetary Computer STAC item · USDA FPAC-BC Geospatial Enterprise Operations. Public-domain USDA NAIP.

Wyoming's largest data center, sited in a city whose municipal supply is ~70% Colorado River water on junior priority (1954–1982) with 2028 curtailment risk — the strongest legal/priority Colorado River exposure in the study — but with low direct on-site water use.

Direct on-site use is low; exposure is via municipal supply and legal curtailment risk (Watch). Runner-up: Microsoft Cheyenne (older, evaporative, expanding).