Arizona is engaged in a debate about where data centers should be built — with cities, developers and residents having varying opinions on the issue. So how do we find common ground? That was the driving force behind a Feb. 11 standing-room-only knowledge exchange. … It’s tough to estimate how much water data centers use for cooling, said Sarah Porter, director of ASU’s Kyl Center for Water Policy. But power generation for all users — not just data centers — makes up 3% of the state’s water demand. … If future data centers build outside cities with assured water supply designations, she warned, they could pump groundwater without replenishing what they use — and that could hurt rural areas that already lack secure water supplies.