Residents press Page officials for strong water‑feasibility rules in proposed data‑center overlay

Residents at the citizen review pressed staff about groundwater and surface‑water risks if a data center were built near the Colorado River basin, asking whether the overlay could more tightly define "adverse effect" and require specific recycling or discharge limits.

"A water feasibility study shall be prepared by an engineer licensed in the state of Arizona," staff said, and the application packet must include documentation showing where water will come from and whether the public supplier (PUE) will provide service. If applicants propose non‑public water sources, a detailed feasibility study and modeling must demonstrate no adverse effect before the city would approve an overlay.

Staff explained the studies will be public parts of an application and the city will use outside consultants (paid through applicant fees) to review technical work. They also noted state agencies (Arizona Department of Water Resources and ADEQ) have authority on wells and contamination, and large‑scale contamination would likely involve state or federal enforcement. Commissioners and commenters asked staff to consider strengthening language on discharge, quantifying recycled vs. discharged water, and including wildlife and heat‑island impact reviews as part of feasibility studies.