In April, developers of the massive Imperial Data Center cleared a major hurdle after Imperial County Supervisors approved a plan to combine several tracts of land for the nearly one-million-square-foot facility in rural Southern California. It would be the largest data center in the state. … Last week, that progress came to a halt when the county board walked back its decision, declaring a 45-day moratorium on data centers and forming a public commission to advise the county on zoning policy for the facilities. … The company originally pledged to use recycled water from neighboring cities, but when that didn’t pan out, it sued Imperial Irrigation District in Imperial County Superior Court this month, seeking 260 million gallons of river water each year. 

Other data center water use news:

• The Guardian (U.K.): Majority of datacenters are vulnerable to climate threats like floods and fires, study finds
• Government Technology: Newsom faces new data center test as backlash builds