The semi-arid region’s population has exploded over the past century—the river served only 457,000 people in 1922—as has its agriculture sector, which now covers more than 5 million acres of farmland and accounts for 70% of all water use.
—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
8 June 2026
Building more data centers in arid areas would put even greater stress on water resources for other urban uses as well as agriculture.
While urban areas like Los Angeles are under mandatory drought restrictions to reduce strain on state reservoirs, many rural residents reliant on groundwater wells are waterless.
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