Utah natural resources chief addresses water concerns about data center proposal

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]In the face of data center backlash, Kevin O'Leary insists it won't dry up the Great Salt Lake. Thanks for joining us. I'm Brian Mullahy. And Amy Nishijima, the business mogul and Shark Tank host, says the project is being rushed, but there's misinformation now.

[00:00:14]Our Christian is live with tonight's top story, Christian.

[00:00:19]Yeah, Mika, right now he is pushing back against claims that the proposed data center could harm the Great Salt Lake.

[00:00:30]In a social media post, Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary pushed back against claims the proposed data center development could drain the Great Salt Lake. On X, formerly known as Twitter, he states there's lots of rumors that we're going to suck the Great Salt Lake dry. That's ridiculous. Of course, that's not going to happen. O'Leary also suggested the project could use air cooling technology requiring little to no water. At the same time, state officials say the project's original water rights application has now been withdrawn and will be refiled after changes to the proposal. The project has, you know, changed from when they they filed that application back in March. The project has changed since then. The original request proposed converting agricultural water rights into industrial use tied to the data center project. So, the application that they had filed originally was 1,900 acre-feet. Officials say the state engineers are required to ensure the project does not expand water use beyond what's already historically tied to the property. The water that's been used historically is what can be used going forward. So, the net impact to Great Salt Lake is going to be zero because this water's already being used. State leaders also stress the project still faces multiple layers of environmental review before construction could move ahead. Every one of those permits goes through a public process. There's public comment, there's hearings, there is opportunity for the public to engage in this potential data center.

[00:01:57]Now, the governor said that the project must use environmentally safe cooling technology and report its water usage publicly. Reporting live, Christian KUTV 2 News.