Background

West Texas is increasingly considered for data centers and other large industrial facilities because of available land and access to power. Depending on their size and cooling strategy, these facilities may require approximately 0.5 million to more than 5 million gallons of water per day. That demand creates a growing need to identify water sources that can support new development without increasing pressure on limited freshwater supplies.

The region has long relied on the freshwater Ogallala Aquifer, where groundwater withdrawals have exceeded recharge for decades. The deeper and more mineralized Dockum Aquifer is an underused brackish groundwater resource that may provide an alternative. Its potential depends on local water chemistry, aquifer productivity, treatment requirements, management of treatment residuals, and responsible long-term withdrawal planning.

Researchers at the Bureau of Economic Geology assembled a team of experts in hydrogeology, groundwater geochemistry, water-resource assessment, treatment considerations, and large-load infrastructure analysis to evaluate that potential. The team compiled data from 895 groundwater samples from across the Dockum and associated aquifer systems into a three-dimensional hydrogeochemical framework showing salinity classes and major-ion chemistry. The work supports industrial water-supply planning and identifies priorities for future sampling, modeling, and aquifer testing.

Established in 1909, the Bureau of Economic Geology is the State Geological Survey of Texas and the oldest research unit at The University of Texas at Austin. Its research spans energy, environmental, and economic issues, and its scientists and engineers have deep expertise in water resources and the relationships between water and energy production. 

Key Takeaways

• A promising alternative water source: Brackish groundwater from the Dockum Aquifer could support industrial uses, including data center cooling, in water-constrained West Texas when paired with appropriate planning, treatment, and responsible management of treatment residuals.
• Local conditions matter: Water chemistry varies substantially across the study area. Salinity and constituents that can cause scaling, fouling, and membrane degradation require site-specific treatment plans rather than a single system design.
• Facility location and water sourcing should be planned together: Siting decisions should account for source-water chemistry, aquifer transmissivity, and well yield. Areas with lower salinity and higher transmissivity may be more favorable for development.
• Aquifer productivity is uneven: Variations in aquifer thickness, flow pathways, well yield, and transmissivity affect sustainable withdrawal rates and the ability to supply continuous industrial demand.
• Several constraints must be evaluated early: Treatment demands, power requirements, cost, brine disposal, permitting, and long-term water availability will influence whether a Dockum-sourced water supply can scale successfully.

Research Team

• Tingwei “Lucy” Ko
• Jean-Philippe Nicot
• Edna Rodriguez Calzado
• Andrea Salas Rivera
• Ning Lin

All five researchers are affiliated with the Bureau of Economic Geology in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin.