Fort Worth Staff Favor Closed-Loop Cooling for Data Centers

Data center water demand dominated a recent meeting of Fort Worth's Water and Wastewater Capital Improvements Project Citizens Advisory Committee, held Sept. 25. The committee monitors implementation of water and wastewater projects tied to the city's five-year capital plan.

The discussion centered on draft city regulations for data centers, first presented to the city council in June. Fort Worth supports closed-loop cooling, which city water director Chris Harder said is now written into design requirements. Staff said evaporative cooling systems could use roughly 4 million to 6 million gallons per month, while closed-loop systems would use an estimated 300,000 to 1 million gallons. For comparison, staff cited about 2 million gallons monthly for a residential neighborhood of similar size.

Staff also discussed meter sizing guardrails and wastewater hauling. If a meter must be upgraded, impact fees and infrastructure costs could follow, and those costs are generally passed to the developer.

On capital projects, staff reported that the Mary's Creek Water Reclamation Facility is in final design with its construction contract awarded, with operation targeted for 2030. Water impact fee collections for the first half of 2026 rose 23% in units and 54% in fees compared with the prior half-year period.

For developers, the practical implication is that data center projects in Fort Worth should budget for closed-loop cooling, meter sizing scrutiny and possible impact fees tied to water upgrades.