WaterMark / Jurisdictions / Pottawattamie County, IA (Council Bluffs)
Pottawattamie County, IA (Council Bluffs): Data Center Water Impact
Reference data for evaluating a data center proposal in Pottawattamie County, IA (Council Bluffs). Every figure below is a stored value with its primary source attached. Facility-scale results are produced by the assessment tool.
Water supply
| Metric | Value | Source / basis |
|---|---|---|
| Water utility | Council Bluffs Water Works | Utility of record |
| Supply source | Missouri River + alluvial aquifer | Utility of record |
| Treatment capacity | 35 MGD | Water stress: WRI Aqueduct 4.0, HUC-8 10230006. |
| Water rate | $3.50 / 1,000 gal | Council Bluffs Water Works published rate schedule |
| Watershed stress | Low (1.8 / 5) | Water stress: WRI Aqueduct 4.0, HUC-8 10230006. |
Watershed consumptive use
Basin: Boyer (HUC-8 10230006). Figures are consumptive use, not withdrawal, because evaporative data center loss is consumptive. USGS data year 2020.
| Category | Consumptive use (MGD) | Share of basin |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 8 | 17.7% |
| Thermoelectric power | 6 | 13.3% |
| Industrial | 4 | 8.8% |
| Irrigation | 5 | 11.1% |
| Mining | 0.2 | 0.4% |
| Existing data centers | 22 | 48.7% |
| Total | 45.2 | 100.0% |
Total is the sum of the categories listed above. Shares are each category divided by that total. Source: USGS Water Use 2020, Pottawattamie County. Existing DC: Google + Meta cluster.
Grid generation water (Scope 2)
Generating the electricity a data center consumes evaporates water at the power plant. That volume is real, it is attributable, and it is excluded from most corporate "water positive" accounting. On a thermal grid it is frequently comparable to the facility's own cooling water.
| Metric | Value | Source / basis |
|---|---|---|
| Grid region | MISO / SPP | MISO |
| Electric utility | MidAmerican Energy | Utility of record |
| Grid water intensity | 0.2 gal / kWh | Macknick et al. 2012 × MidAmerican generation mix (~58% wind across portfolio) |
| Local peak demand | 600 MW | MISO |
| Modeled rate impact | 4% to 10% | See methodology |
Where this water is consumed: MidAmerican wind dominance keeps Scope 2 water low; legacy coal contributes a smaller share.
Run this county at your facility size. The assessment tool computes direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) water for a specific load, cooling system, and mitigation stack, with the same citations attached.
Open Pottawattamie County, IA (Council Bluffs) in the assessment tool
Reducing the footprint here
A high stress reading is a design constraint, not a verdict. Closed-loop and dry or hybrid cooling, adiabatic assist, immersion, and reclaimed or non-potable sourcing each move the direct number, and siting against a cleaner grid mix moves the indirect number. The solutions catalog lists each option with its water reduction, its energy and cost tradeoff, and its source.
Regulatory and siting status
Council Bluffs — Google + Meta cluster. Gold standard for DC welcome (predictable abatements, fast permits). Cheap MidAmerican wind.
- Hyperscale activity
- Renewable-heavy grid
Sources: Water: Council Bluffs Water Works. Grid: MidAmerican (mostly wind). IA DC exemption + locality grants.
Comparative siting scores for this county, alongside every other county tracked, are on the US Siting Matrix.
Related counties
| County | Water source | Watershed stress |
|---|---|---|
| Polk County, IA (Des Moines) | Des Moines + Raccoon Rivers | Low-Medium (2/5) |
How these numbers are derived
Assumptions, formulas, and the full source list are in the methodology. WaterMark is published by Standard Water Corp and is not affiliated with any data center developer, utility, or government agency.