WaterMark / Jurisdictions / Valencia County, NM (Los Lunas)
Valencia County, NM (Los Lunas): Data Center Water Impact
Reference data for evaluating a data center proposal in Valencia County, NM (Los Lunas). 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 | Village of Los Lunas (Water Division) | Utility of record |
| Supply source | Middle Rio Grande + groundwater wells | Utility of record |
| Treatment capacity | 12 MGD | Water stress: WRI Aqueduct 4.0 (Kuzma et al. 2023), Middle Rio Grande basin HUC-8 13020203, Extremely High category (arid Rio Grande). Source: Village of Los Lunas Water Division — middle Rio Grande surface allocation plus groundwater wells. |
| Water rate | $4.25 / 1,000 gal | Village of Los Lunas (Water Division) published rate schedule |
| Watershed stress | Extremely High (4.1 / 5) | Water stress: WRI Aqueduct 4.0 (Kuzma et al. 2023), Middle Rio Grande basin HUC-8 13020203, Extremely High category (arid Rio Grande). Source: Village of Los Lunas Water Division — middle Rio Grande surface allocation plus groundwater wells. |
Watershed consumptive use
Basin: Middle Rio Grande (HUC-8 13020203). Figures are consumptive use, not withdrawal, because evaporative data center loss is consumptive. USGS data year 2015.
| Category | Consumptive use (MGD) | Share of basin |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 8.11 | 5.8% |
| Thermoelectric power | 0 | 0.0% |
| Industrial | 0 | 0.0% |
| Irrigation | 130.46 | 93.9% |
| Mining | 0.39 | 0.3% |
| Existing data centers | 0 | 0.0% |
| Total | 139 | 100.0% |
Total is the sum of the categories listed above. Shares are each category divided by that total. Source: USGS Estimated Use of Water 2015, county-level data release (Dieter et al. 2018), Valencia County, NM. Values are 2015 freshwater withdrawals (Mgal/d): PS 4.94 + DO 3.17 = residential 8.11; PT 0.0; IN 0.0; IR 130.46; MI 0.39.
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 | WECC (PNM) | Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) |
| Electric utility | Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) | Utility of record |
| Grid water intensity | 0.38 gal / kWh | Macknick et al. 2012 consumption factors, weighted by PNM / WECC New Mexico mix (gas-dispatchable backbone + Four Corners coal + growing solar; statewide renewables high but gas remains the firm thermal share) per EIA New Mexico; derived in the arid-WECC 0.35-0.45 band. |
| Local peak demand | 600 MW | Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) |
| Modeled rate impact | 9% to 20% | See methodology |
Where this water is consumed: Meta's Los Lunas data center sits on the water-stressed Middle Rio Grande. Meta uses free cooling plus evaporative cooling (evaporative only above ~85 deg F) and reuses water before discharge; its stated on-site water need is modest and it funds Rio Grande basin restoration toward a 2030 water-positive goal. Critically, Meta's electricity is matched 100% with PNM renewable energy on an annual basis (special renewable-energy contract; dedicated solar PPAs), so the Scope 2 generation tied to this load is largely solar/renewable that consumes little to no water and is sited outside the Middle Rio Grande HUC. New Mexico modeling (Western Resource Advocates) still projects ~138 million gal/yr of incremental statewide data-center water demand by 2035.
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.
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
Los Lunas — Meta hyperscale campus on the water-stressed Middle Rio Grande (Aqueduct Extremely High). Meta matches 100% of load with PNM renewables and funds basin restoration toward a 2030 water-positive goal, so effective Scope 2 water is below the WECC-NM grid average. Arid Southwest baseline stress is the binding constraint.
- Hyperscale activity
- Arid / water stressed
Sources: Water: Village of Los Lunas Water Division. Grid: WECC (PNM, renewable-matched for Meta). NM DC gross-receipts deduction.
Comparative siting scores for this county, alongside every other county tracked, are on the US Siting Matrix.
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.