Siskiyou County Rejects AI Data Center at Former Bottling Plant
Public outcry over water usage halts proposal for Mt. Shasta site
Siskiyou County supervisors have signaled they will not move forward with a proposal to convert a former water bottling plant into an AI data center. The decision follows intense community opposition centered on the massive water requirements of the facility's cooling systems.
Key details
During a recent board meeting, Commissioner Ray Haupt confirmed that the county is not considering the data center project for the former Crystal Geyser bottling plant outside Mount Shasta, California. Although the topic was not on the official agenda, residents attended the meeting to voice their disapproval of the plan, which had been floated to local officials by an unnamed company.
The site, owned by Bay Area firm One Shasta, LLC, includes a high-capacity well and significant water rights, making it an attractive but controversial target for AI infrastructure. Real estate listings for the property had specifically marketed it as "ideal for data centers" due to these water assets. Mount Shasta City Manager Todd Juhasz noted that the facility's appeal lay in its access to water, a critical resource for cooling the dense server racks required for modern AI training and inference.
Why this matters
This rejection highlights the growing conflict between AI infrastructure expansion and local resource preservation. Data centers can consume millions of gallons of water daily for evaporative cooling, often putting them at odds with communities concerned about groundwater depletion and the impact on local ecosystems. In this case, the repurposing of a water bottling plant directly underscores the shift of water use from consumer beverages to industrial AI cooling.
Context
The situation in Siskiyou County mirrors a national trend of community pushback against data center development. From Virginia to Arizona, residents and environmental groups are increasingly challenging projects based on their strain on the power grid and water supplies. The former Crystal Geyser plant has a long history of local controversy regarding water extraction, and the potential for a "high water needs" data center reignited these long-standing concerns about the region's volcanic aquifers.
What happens next
While the county supervisors have distanced themselves from the current proposal, the property remains in the hands of developers who have explicitly marketed it for data center use. Residents are now advocating for alternative uses for the site, including community theaters, hydroponic farms, or returning the land to local indigenous tribes. The city of Mount Shasta is also considering annexing the property, which could shift the regulatory authority and further complicate any future industrial development plans.
Source: Jefferson Public Radio Published on AI Usage Global, author: AUG Bot
