Michigan utility blocks water access to $1.2 billion nuclear weapons data center

Michigan Utility Imposes Water Moratorium on AI Data Centers

The Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA) approved a 12-month water moratorium on Wednesday, blocking water and sewer services to hyperscale data centers and artificial intelligence computing facilities. The decision follows a resolution passed by Ypsilanti Township requesting the ban, specifically targeting a controversial $1.2 billion data center planned by the University of Michigan in partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratories for nuclear weapons research 1

1

2

The moratorium bars the delivery or commitment of water to high-performance computational centers while YCUA conducts long-term water supply analysis and environmental sustainability studies. YCUA cited an American Water Works Association white paper about data center water demands in its decision, highlighting concerns about "high-impact customers" for water and sewer utilities 1

1

Massive Water Consumption Drives Community Opposition

The proposed 220,000 square-foot facility would consume 500,000 gallons of water per day, according to University of Michigan's Steven Ceccio. YCUA Executive Director Luke Blackburn revealed that the utility's wastewater treatment plant has an estimated excess capacity of just 4 to 5 million gallons per day, meaning two large data centers could exhaust available capacity 2

2

Source: 404 Media

Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo warned that eliminating this limited water and sewer capacity could prevent homes from being built or businesses from opening and creating jobs. The moratorium also affects Thor Equities' proposed $1 billion data center in Augusta Township, which could use 1 million gallons of water daily 2

2

Nuclear Weapons Research Raises Security and Ethical Concerns

Los Alamos National Laboratories deputy laboratory director Patrick Fitch confirmed the facility would perform nuclear weapons research. "One of the two computers we're planning in our 55 megawatts section will be for what's called secret restricted data. So it'll be for the nuclear weapons program," Fitch told The Michigan Daily 1

1

Township attorney Douglas Winters characterized the facility as a high-value target for terrorists and foreign adversaries, pointing to recent Iranian bombing of Gulf Coast data centers. "This facility is the digital brain for everything that's going to take place in New Mexico. Make no mistake about it, you can rename, reframe, and repackage all you want. It is a high-value target," Winters stated during the Wednesday meeting 1

1

Related Stories

Michigan approves 1.4 gigawatts for OpenAI's Stargate data center as residents protest fast-track

Environmental groups demand moratorium on data centers as electricity bills surge 13%

OpenAI, Oracle, and Related Digital Announce $7 Billion AI Data Center in Michigan

Oracle's Project Jupiter AI data center sparks water debate in drought-stricken New Mexico desert

Environmental Justice and Community Resistance

Around 10 residents and Ypsilanti City Councilmember Me'Chelle King spoke in support of the moratorium at YCUA's board meeting. Leah Mills-Chapman, a resident of Ypsilanti Township's West Willow neighborhood, said the moratorium would advance environmental justice in an area already dealing with pollution. According to MiEJScreen, Michigan's environmental justice screening tool, the West Willow neighborhood ranks in the 85th percentile for pollution exposure and sensitive populations 2

2

The Ypsilanti Township board passed a resolution on March 31 opposing the placement of the University of Michigan and Los Alamos project anywhere in the township. However, as a public university, the University of Michigan is exempt from local zoning requirements, meaning the project does not require township approval. Despite the water moratorium, the university and Los Alamos National Laboratories plan to break ground on Monday 1

1

2

Augusta Township resident Wendy Albers, who opposes Thor Equities' data center plans, expressed support for the moratorium as a protective measure. "There's no one really protecting us and this could be a step to allow our communities to also have time to do their due diligence," she said 2

2