State Committee Reviews Data Center Impact on Oklahoma’s Resources
One thing was made clear when the Oklahoma House Utilities Committee held a recent hearing—there’s a split between Stillwater city and county leaders about water use by Google’s new data center campus.
The Oklahoma Department of Commerce’s John Woods, an Economic Development Research Specialist, shared that Oklahoma currently has at least 36 data centers. Twenty-six are in Tulsa, nine in Oklahoma City, and one in Stillwater. Nationally known companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Apple operate them.
“This doesn’t reflect all of the data centers in Oklahoma,” Woods told the committee. “It excludes government-operated, municipal, military, and private company facilities.”
Woods also revealed at least six more potential projects are in the works, ranging in cost from under $5 million to several billion dollars. Operating centers employ an average of nine full-time workers with an average annual wage of $94,026.
Oklahoma’s Expanding Data Center Footprint
According to Woods, under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), there are 709 payroll locations under the data processing code. Numbers grew from 1,416 in 2020 to 1,746 in 2025, with an average salary of $96,630.
These figures underscore how data centers are fueling economic growth in Oklahoma—but also raising resource concerns.
Payne County Voices Water Concerns
Payne County Commissioner Rhonda Markum testified that residents have voiced worries about the Google facility’s water use.
“People are concerned because of the drought and that they use a lot of electricity and water,” Markum said. “My constituents who live next to this facility are very concerned.”
She noted that the county had signed a non-disclosure agreement with the contractor and has not had direct contact with Google. Markum even referenced photos showing flooding around the construction site on April 30, illustrating the project’s visible impact.
Stillwater City Manager Offers Reassurance
Stillwater City Manager Brady Moore provided a more optimistic outlook. He explained that talks with Google began in 2018, calling the project a “game changer” for the city.
By 2019, plans were well underway before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed progress. “They finally contacted us in 2023 and said, ‘We’ve chosen Stillwater,’” Moore said.
Moore emphasized transparency, noting that even though non-disclosure agreements were signed, the records fall under Oklahoma’s Open Records Law and can be viewed by the public.
Water Capacity and Future Expansion
Stillwater’s primary water source is Kaw Reservoir, eight miles east of Ponca City. “Stillwater is blessed that we have 50-million gallons per day water rights up at Kaw Lake,” Moore said. Even during drought, he noted, the reservoir stays full.
The city’s peak demand has reached 14 million gallons per day (MGD) only twice. The northeast zone, where the data center is under construction, has a 3.2 MGD capacity for new growth.
“For the first two phases, the Economic Development agreement allows for 2.7 MGD, which uses most of that capacity,” Moore explained. Any future expansion would require Google to invest in Stillwater’s water treatment plant to increase system capacity.