San Marcos Rejects “CyrusOne” Data Center Over Water, Energy Concerns

In a dramatic and decisive 1 a.m. vote on August 20, 2025, the San Marcos City Council officially rejected a proposal to amend its City’s comprehensive plan to permit the rezoning of a massive data center proposed by tech giant CyrusOne. The project sparked widespread concern from San Marcos residents and environmental advocates, especially after new details revealed that the data center would use 2.5 times more energy than the entire city’s peak energy usage, while also requiring a staggering 75,000 gallons per day of non-curtailable water use. In a state and region vulnerable to severe drought, the amount of water demanded to support data centers presents challenges that our state and local communities are not adequately prepared to handle.

Fortunately, because the comprehensive plan amendment was previously rejected by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, the change required a super-majority approval from the City Council. The Save Our Springs Alliance thanks San Marcos City Council Members Amanda Rodriguez and Saul Gonzales for casting the two votes against, preventing the super-majority required to advance the data center. Efforts to negotiate stricter development regulations using a restrictive covenant from other council members are acknowledged and appreciated, however, the message from the San Marcos community was clear: protecting our limited natural resources must come first. 

This proposal appears to be stalled for now, but we anticipate that the landowner and CyrusOne may seek ways to bring it back for council consideration. Additionally, we are aware of three other data centers proposed in the same area of Hays County and San Marcos. Each of these data centers is concerning on its own, but collectively, their impact could be devastating. We remain committed to working with the San Marcos community and our sister environmental organizations to prevent the waste and overuse of our limited water resources, and we will notify you of ways that you can get involved. In the meantime, please call your representatives in the Texas Legislature to demand that they give stronger city and county powers to help Texas communities manage the explosive growth of data centers and ensure there is sufficient water for current and future generations.
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