County says water approvals will be handled case‑by‑case for data‑center proposals

Residents asked whether the county had evaluated whether existing water infrastructure could support a large data center. Staff said it had not done a countywide capacity analysis because supply varies by provider and depends on site size, and that the ordinance relies on site‑level approvals.

"It was really tough to come up with some hard line of this is the number of gallons per day that we're good with, because there are 6 different water providers in Smith County alone," the staff member said, adding that applicants would need either a local water company commitment or state well/withdrawal permits and that those approvals would be part of the special‑use review.

Staff repeatedly emphasized water impacts are site specific — a 100‑megawatt facility will have different demand than a 1,000‑megawatt facility — and that the county will require applicants to demonstrate how they will source water, whether via local utility, withdrawal permit or well. Staff invited residents with Pathway Park questions to follow up directly so the county can look at provider capacity for particular sites.