Data Center Action Week Recap

Thank you to everyone who showed up for Data Center Week of Action! It was pretty incredible to see Texans across the state come together to learn and push back against the massive buildout of AI data centers threatening our water, land, air, and communities. Whether you spoke at a Texas Senate hearing, joined a webinar, emailed your elected officials, or posted online calling for a special session, you helped the growing movement saying Texas water is already too limited to give away to Big Tech.
   Check out the recordings of all the webinars and presentations below:

• Tax and Budget Impacts of Data Centers and How to Testify and Lobby at the Legislature recording
• Water, Noise and Land Impacts of Data Centers and How to Use Social Media for Your Data Center Campaign recording
• Electric Grid Impacts and Air Pollution from Data Centers and How to Write a Letter to the Editor recording
• Find, Track and Challenge TCEQ Permits for Data Centers (w/SOS attorney, Victoria Rose!) recording
• Tax and Budget Impacts of Data Centers by Shannon Halbrook, Every Texan
• Testifying at the Texas Legislature by Ian Seamans, Environment Texas
• Water Use, Noise and Land Impacts of Data Centers by Rachel Hanes, GEAA and Tom Entsminger, NWF
• Organizing and Using Social Media for Your Data Center Campaign by Kamil Cook, Public Citizen
• Air Pollution from Power Production for Data Centers by Griffin Bird, EIP
• Find, Track and Challenge TCEQ Permits for Data Centers by Victoria Rose, Save Our Springs and Kathryn Guerra, Public Citizen

Support the Legal Action Needed to Stop Data Centers

In case you missed it, SOS recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Data Center Action Coalition and affected residents against the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court to stop two massive data center projects, CloudBurst and Palomino Alpha. Records show that the county approved tax abatements and related development agreements in violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Tax Code, and state conflicts-of-interest laws. The tax abatements, as they stand, give an estimated $150 million in county property-tax subsidies. The CloudBurst and Palomino Alpha projects together would turn more than 1,700 acres of rural Guadalupe County into AI data centers spanning more than 4 million square feet, costing local residents through new utility infrastructure, and affecting rural quality of life through huge on-site power plants, local heat effects, heavy water use, and wastewater discharges into tributaries of the San Marcos River. 
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Our legal team is working to challenge these approvals, protect public participation, and make sure massive data center projects don’t move forward at the expense of Texas water and communities.

Please consider making a gift to our Data Center Legal Fund today.

Austin Environmental City Council Candidate Forum August 22
A candidate forum focused on environmental policy and transparent governance will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2026, from 12:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at UA Local 286 Plumbers & Pipefitters, 814 Airport Blvd., Austin, TX 78702. The forum will feature candidates for Austin City Council Districts 1, 3, 5, 8, and 9, with district groups appearing in the order of 9, 8, 5, 3, and 1. KUT Senior Correspondent on Energy and Environment Mose Buchele will moderate.
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The event is intended as an opportunity for community members to hear from candidates on environmental issues and related governance topics ahead of the fall election. For more information, contact Kaiba White at [email protected].*

Help Us Bring the Next Generation to the Springs​
It’s official, our 10th annual Barton Springs University Day (BSU) will take place on Tuesday, October 27th! Every year, SOS brings 1,000+ high school students to Barton Springs Pool for a day of hands-on science, sustainability workshops, and water-focused exploration, all free of charge. Word on the stream: there might be an American eel in attendance this year. From aquifer science to eco-advocacy, students learn directly from experts shaping and protecting the future of Central Texas. Our hope is that every BSU attendee leaves with a core water literacy that inspires them to become the next water and nature stewards of our region. We’re looking for sponsors and volunteers to help make this year’s BSU Day the best one yet.

Work for a company that wants to give back? Help them stand apart by bringing Barton Springs University Day to life and ensuring every Title 1 school in the area can participate. 
Know a business that benefits from being near Barton Springs or wants to help protect the natural beauty of central Texas? Send us an introduction! A connection from someone who already believes in this mission can go a long way. 

Many attendees at BSU Day will experience Barton Springs and discover the hidden world of the aquifer for the first time. Let’s give the next generation a reason to fall in love with the springs, too. By pushing back against the data center drain and learning about candidates who care about the natural world, young people have a chance of inheriting a place that’s still wild, beautiful, and full of people who care.

Onward, towards a better future,

 SOS Alliance 

As part of an ongoing Meet Our Team series, we're celebrating Megan Wutzke's one-year anniversary with SOS and invite you to get to know our Outreach Coordinator a little better!

In just one year, Megan has become an indispensable part of the SOS team. She brings equal parts go-get-em and good humor to everything she does, from coordinating volunteers and mentoring interns to organizing Barton Springs University and helping connect more people to our mission. She's the kind of person who can make you laugh in one breath and inspire you to protect Texas water in the next.
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We sat down with Megan to talk about what led her to Save Our Springs, why water conservation matters, what keeps her hopeful, and the surprising journey that took her from pastry chef and journalist to drone-flying instructor before finding her place at SOS. 

Q: What part of this work is most rewarding for you?
A: I love working with young adults; the 16-25 age range is a wonderfully chaotic time, where you really start to achieve childhood dreams…or, find unexpected new pathways. I enjoy fostering an appreciation for our natural environment and empowering young people to take a stand for what they believe in. 

Q: What’s a common misconception you hear about Texas water?
A: Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of people say that since the highland lakes are full, our water systems must be healthy and our drought must be over. Not true! The lakes are one part of our water systems, but our aquifers still need to be protected from overpumping. Conservation isn’t just for times of drought. 

Q: What’s something unexpected about you? a fun fact!
A: I’ve had a wide variety of jobs: grocery bagger, line cook, pastry chef, bartender, HIV counselor, ESL teacher (in Kenya and Italy), disaster debris clean-out, dog trainer/walker, chemistry tutor, Americorps math teacher, journalist, standardized test grader, hummus seller, and drone-flying instructor. 

Q: Where’s your favorite place you’ve ever gone swimming?
A: Tough question! I grew up in northern Minnesota, so I always love playing in Lake Itasca, where the Mississippi River starts, but it is pretty shallow for actual swimming. I also love paddling and swimming in the Crow Wing River - it was a 50-year family tradition for my father’s side to go on an annual canoe trip (about 30 canoes and 100 people!) on the Crow Wing River, and that's how I learned how to swim. In Texas, though, you know it's got to be Barton Springs.
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Q: If you could take anyone on a Texas outdoor adventure, who would it be and where would you go?
A: There is a hidden cave in Big Bend State Park (not the national park!) where I used to camp when I lived in West Texas. I’ve been meaning to take my husband, but I think he is less excited than I am to go camping in cougar country