Polk County seeks stronger oversight for prospective data centers amid water concerns

POLK COUNTY, Texas (KTRE) - Polk County leaders approved a resolution Tuesday morning, aimed at increasing oversight of potential data center development, citing concerns about water use and other infrastructure impacts in the Deep East Texas county.

“We want to make sure that we protect our taxpayers, our residents, you know, our providers,” said Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy of the measure.

The resolution requires prospective data centers to be transparent about their plans before applying to build new facilities. It also urges state leaders to give counties a stronger voice in data center development decisions.

There are currently no proposals to build a data center in Polk County, but Murphy said the county acted after hearing concerns from residents and business owners. Murphy said if companies want to build large commercial wells in the county, local taxpayers should see a benefit.

“They should get some tax relief if our resources are going to be utilized somewhere else in the state of Texas,” Murphy said.

The county will submit the resolution to the state ahead of the next legislative session.

Gary Ashmore of the Lower Trinity Groundwater Conservation District said the district’s studies show groundwater pumping between Polk and San Jacinto counties reached about 4.5 million gallons annually by the end of 2025.

“We don’t use that much water because we are a low-population area. We do not have a ton of industry here that uses a lot of water,” Ashmore said.

Even without data centers currently planned in Polk County, Ashmore said the region could still become a target for moving water to faster-growing communities.

“Conroe could use all the water out of Lake Conroe today, and it’s not enough for them. Houston, they’re out of water. They’re talking about bringing water from Louisiana and shipping it here,” he said.

In addition to the resolution, the Polk County Commissioners Court said it plans to implement an “impact permit” policy requiring certain operations to disclose known and potential impacts.

“They’re going to have to declare their water usage. They’re going to have to declare their electrical usage, the road damage, the drainage, the flood management. Everything,”