Why It Matters
A proposed 40,000-acre data center in Box Elder County, Utah—just across the border from southeastern Idaho—has drawn unprecedented public opposition over water use concerns. The project’s impact on Great Salt Lake water levels and regional resources could affect communities throughout the northern Utah-southern Idaho border region.
The developer withdrew its water permit application after collecting nearly 4,000 public protests, a record number for Utah’s Water Rights Division. The company plans to resubmit with additional documentation.
What Happened
Developers behind the Stratos project pulled their water permit application on Thursday, just days after Box Elder County commissioners unanimously approved two resolutions supporting the data center campus. The project is sponsored by celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary and developed with the Military Installation Development Authority, a state entity overseeing infrastructure projects with military missions.
The withdrawn application sought to change 1,900 acre-feet of water from irrigation to industrial use, primarily to power a natural gas plant supporting the data center operations. Logan Riley, a water consultant for the project, wrote to the state Water Rights Division that the company intends to resubmit with additional supporting information.
The application collected approximately 3,900 protests in about one month after filing in March. Each filing cost $15, generating roughly $58,500 for the division.
By the Numbers
3,900: Number of protests filed against the water permit application
40,000 acres: Size of the proposed data center campus
1,900 acre-feet: Amount of water requested from Salt Wells Spring Stream
9 gigawatts: Full buildout capacity of the planned natural gas power plant
$58,500: Total fees collected from protest filings
Zoom Out
Water rights remain a contentious issue throughout the Mountain West, where drought conditions have strained resources for years. The Great Salt Lake has reached historically low levels, raising concerns about arsenic-laden dust from exposed lake bed and threats to wetland habitat.
Deeda Seed, a senior Utah campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity, said she has never seen such a high number of protests filed against a water permit before. The organization argued in its protest filing that developers failed to demonstrate their proposed change would not increase water consumption beyond historical diversion amounts.
According to the application, water diverted would be used primarily for power generation, with a portion supporting data center operations in a closed-loop system. Developers said any discharged water would eventually return to the Great Salt Lake.
What’s Next
Developers plan to resubmit their water permit application with additional documentation. Box Elder County commissioners’ approval allows state environmental reviews to begin.
A group of county residents is organizing to file a referendum against one of the resolutions commissioners approved. Brigette Cottam, a Brigham City resident organizing the effort, said concerns center on water availability during an ongoing regional water crisis.
The county clerk initially turned away referendum organizers, arguing that MIDA holds independent authority over its project areas.
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