Public commenter and councilors urge protections against AI data centers over water and power concerns

At the May 20, 2026 Payson City Council meeting, a resident identified as Morgan urged the council to prohibit AI data centers in Payson, saying they would consume large amounts of water and electricity and increase utility costs for residents. "I implore you to put in legislation or a vote to put that no AI data center come to Payson," Morgan said.

Morgan gave a series of figures and cited external studies to emphasize the scale of potential impacts, saying "a medium sized data center would consume around a 100 plus million gallons per year" and that some facilities could use millions of gallons per day. The speaker characterized data centers as "resource ravenous," warning of consequences for wildlife, residents and existing water supplies. These numerical claims were presented as the speaker's research and were not verified by staff during the meeting.

Council members responded by echoing the public concern and asking staff to evaluate policy options. One councilor said the city’s ongoing code rewrite should explicitly consider whether and how data centers are regulated so Payson "is in the driver's seat, not them." Another councilor noted that the issue involves both water and power: "The water isn't just the only issue. It's the power," and suggested the city consult its power director for technical guidance.

The council did not take formal action at the meeting. Staff and councilors framed the next step as reviewing the code rewrite to determine whether to add provisions that would govern data-center siting or set operating conditions; no ban or ordinance was introduced during the session.