The Texas attorney general's office has mailed letters to the developers of 156 data center projects, telling them the state expects current and accurate figures on how much water they use. Dallas County is one of 32 counties where the letters went out, according to an Oct. 15 announcement from Attorney General Ken Paxton's office.
Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties are on the same list, along with Brazos, Harris, Travis, Williamson, Bexar and others.
The office has not released the letters or named the companies and projects that received them. KBTX reported that it asked for copies and had not received them, and FOX 4 reported that the office offered no further detail on what the letters say.
What the state is asking for
Texas law requires the Texas Water Development Board to survey those who draw groundwater or surface water, whether for city systems, industry, power plants or mining. Paxton's office says the data centers it is examining include those that never answered that survey.
"Data center developers must follow the law and respect the Texans and communities affected by their operations," Paxton said in the announcement, adding that he is "actively investigating data centers across Texas."
The letters are the second public step in the inquiry. On Sept. 24, Paxton's office said it was investigating what it described as hundreds of data center developments, naming an initial group of 18 counties that included Dallas and Tarrant.
How much leverage the law gives
The water board surveyed 329 data centers in 2025 and nearly 30% responded, The Texas Tribune reported Oct. 14. Of 334 facilities the board identified from 2020 through 2025, 233 never returned a survey, according to records the Tribune reviewed.
Failing to file is a Class C misdemeanor with a fine of no more than $500, the Tribune reported, and a facility can also lose eligibility for state water funding and certain environmental permits. Gov. Greg Abbott has told the water board to refer facilities that do not comply to county and district attorneys.
The Tribune noted that the attorney general cannot bring local criminal cases on his own unless a district or county attorney requests his help or appoints him.
