Construction crews have begun clearing a patch of desert southeast of Tucson for a new data center development, but roughly 40 protesters gathered Wednesday evening at the site of the proposed Project Blue facility to make clear their fight is not over. Protesters stood along a chain-link fence separating the desert landscape from the construction site at South Houghton Road, holding hand-painted signs and banners to voice opposition to the facility’s projected environmental and infrastructure footprint. As heavy machinery continued to work in the background, demonstrators made clear they had no intention of going quietly. … The environmental concerns resonate deeply with local history, according to protest attendee Nicole Borchaloey, who pointed to past issues involving groundwater depletion.

Other data center water use news:

• Cowboy State Daily (Cheyenne, Wyo.): Inside the $1.2 billion data center campus being built in Cheyenne
• Arizona Capitol Times (Phoenix): Opinion: Arizona’s data center moratorium is only the beginning