Longmont Approves Data Center Restrictions to Safeguard Power and Water

By: Maggie Bryan | Denver7

LONGMONT, Colo. — Longmont is drawing a line against hyperscale data centers, passing an ordinance Tuesday night that sets limits on facility energy consumption to protect the city’s power grid, water supply, and neighborhoods from impacts seen elsewhere across the country.

In a 6-1 vote, Longmont City Council passed a city ordinance capping data center energy usage at either 5% of the region’s grid capacity or 100 megawatts, whichever is lower. City staff said 100 megawatts is enough to power between 10,000 to 30,000 homes on a hot summer day.

Longmont joins a growing list of Colorado communities, including Denver and Jefferson County, that have passed measures limiting construction or operations of data centers after community concerns about their strain on local resources and impacts on neighbors. Diana Chavez, a Longmont resident, said she’s concerned with the amount of water used by large-scale facilities.

“One of my big concerns is that they just seem to be full steam ahead… regardless of the consequences, it seems like. And the consequences concern me, because they’re massive, so it’s acres and acres of land that is gone,” Chavez said.

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