Oregon has become a major data-center market while communities are also dealing with drought risk, changing snowpack, groundwater concerns, river health and growing competition for dependable water and electricity. This page brings together the Oregon-specific facts, questions and sources.
Recent reporting and industry trackers count roughly 125–135 operating and planned data centers in Oregon, depending on what is counted as a separate facility or campus. A recent Oregon Capital Chronicle analysis cited 93 operating facilities and 32 planned, while Oregon DEQ uses a narrower permitting measure and says that, as of 2025, the state had more than 40 data centers permitted or proposed.
Those numbers are not contradictory: different sources count different things. That is why Save Our Fresh Water labels the source and definition instead of pretending there is one perfect statewide count.
Major clusters are in Washington County/Hillsboro, the Boardman–Hermiston/Umatilla County area, Prineville, The Dalles and parts of the Portland metro area.
Data-center water demand varies enormously by cooling design, weather, facility size and the source of the water. Oregon does not currently publish one reliable statewide total for data-center water consumption. Project-by-project disclosure is therefore especially important.
data centers permitted or proposed in Oregon as of 2025 under Oregon DEQ's permitting measure.
Oregon DEQoperating and planned facilities reported by recent news/industry counts. Definitions vary by source.
Oregon Capital Chronicle / industry trackerscombined power use attributed to operating Oregon data centers in recent reporting based on industry data.
Oregon Capital Chronicle, Aug. 2026of backup electrical generating capacity associated with Oregon's permitted/proposed data centers in DEQ's 2025 count.
Oregon DEQHillsboro's 2026 land-use moratorium on applications for new or expanded data centers and battery energy storage systems.
City of Hillsboroannual data-center-related Oregon tax breaks cited in 2026 reporting as state leaders debate safeguards and incentives.
KLCC / Oregon reportingImportant: facility counts and megawatt totals come from different datasets and definitions. They should not be treated as one official statewide inventory.
Hillsboro is one of the Pacific Northwest's largest data-center markets. The city has been reviewing how data centers fit into land-use rules, infrastructure, tax policy and neighborhood quality of life. In July 2026, Hillsboro enacted a 120-day moratorium on new and expanded data-center land-use applications while it reviews its code.
Eastern Oregon has large hyperscale campuses, particularly Amazon Web Services facilities near Boardman, Hermiston and Umatilla. The Columbia River region offers transmission, land and other infrastructure, but communities still need clear answers about water sourcing, drought planning and cumulative impacts.
Prineville hosts major Apple and Meta facilities. Central Oregon's dry climate makes long-term water planning especially important. Questions about municipal supply, groundwater, conservation and peak summer demand deserve the same attention as jobs and tax revenue.
The Dalles is another long-established Oregon data-center location. The Columbia Basin supports cities, agriculture, fish, hydropower and industry, making transparent planning about new large water and power demands important.
New proposals and land planning in the Willamette Valley show that data-center growth is not limited to the state's traditional hubs. Residents should look for project-specific water-demand estimates before approvals and utility commitments are finalized.
A July 2026 Oregon Department of Energy presentation found that much of the identified 2026–2030 data-center growth is expected in western Oregon, even though eastern Oregon currently holds much of the operating IT power.
A data center can use very little water onsite with some cooling designs, or a substantial amount with evaporative cooling. Climate, workload, equipment density, water quality and the cooling system all matter.
Water is evaporated to remove heat. It can be energy-efficient but consumes water directly because evaporated water does not return to the local system.
Air-based systems can greatly reduce direct water consumption, though they may have energy or performance tradeoffs during very hot weather.
Closed-loop liquid systems and reclaimed or non-potable water can reduce pressure on drinking-water supplies when local infrastructure and project design allow it.
The public should be shown annual use, peak-day demand, the water source, expected drought-year use and actual measured consumption after opening.
Gov. Tina Kotek convened a statewide Data Center Advisory Committee in 2026 to recommend policies addressing issues tied to rapid expansion. State discussions include electricity affordability, land use, water, tax incentives and community impacts.
In July 2026, Kotek said Oregon needed safeguards so data-center power and water use would not come at the expense of residents. Reporting also put the value of existing tax incentives at more than $400 million per year.
Hillsboro separately enacted its 120-day moratorium so the city could reconsider where data centers and battery storage should be allowed and what development standards should apply.
Data centers can bring construction spending, tax revenue, technology investment and some long-term jobs. Communities also face questions about infrastructure costs, land conversion, noise, backup generators, electricity demand and water. A serious public discussion should examine both benefits and costs.
Southern Oregon is not Oregon's biggest data-center hub today, but it is a region where people already understand what low water can look like. Reservoirs, irrigation systems, snowpack and streamflows can change dramatically from year to year.
Applegate Lake supports flood control, recreation, fisheries and downstream water uses. Seasonal drawdown is normal, so a single low-water photograph does not by itself prove a long-term decline. Dated photos become much more useful when paired with official reservoir-elevation and storage data.
These reservoirs have experienced severe low-water periods during recent drought years. They are useful reminders that local water stress can be dramatic even when statewide conditions look better.
Mountain snow acts as seasonal storage. Warmer winters, earlier melt and long dry summers can change when water is available, even when total precipitation varies from year to year.
Some Oregon communities and farms depend heavily on groundwater. Large new industrial demands should be evaluated alongside existing wells, groundwater trends and drought vulnerability—not in isolation.
Watch how Hillsboro changes zoning, siting and development standards after its 2026 moratorium.
Oregon's Data Center Advisory Committee is expected to deliver recommendations to the governor in 2026.
Large data-center loads can require new transmission and generation. Watch how utilities allocate those costs between very large users and ordinary customers.
Oregon lawmakers are debating whether existing enterprise-zone and other incentives remain appropriate for extremely large data-center investments.
Ask whether utilities and developers will publish actual annual and peak water use rather than only planning estimates.
Large projects can appear in places with limited infrastructure. Rural communities should know who pays for upgrades and what happens during drought or emergency conditions.
What are projected annual, average-day and peak-day water demands?
Drinking water, groundwater, surface water, reclaimed wastewater—or a combination?
Will the facility cut use when residents, farms or businesses face restrictions?
What alternatives were studied and why was this cooling design selected?
How much water is returned to the system and how much is lost through evaporation?
Does today's permit cover the ultimate campus size or only the first phase?
Will residents help pay for new pipes, pumps, power lines or treatment capacity?
Can residents compare real consumption with the numbers promised during approval?
How does this project combine with other approved or proposed large users in the same watershed or utility?
How many permanent jobs, how much tax revenue, and what legally enforceable community protections are included?
Upload your own dated picture of a river, lake, reservoir, stream or other freshwater condition. Photos are reviewed before public posting. Add a location and date so the picture has useful context.
Save Our Fresh Water is an independent public-awareness project. Counts change as projects open, expand, pause or are proposed. We link sources so visitors can check the current information directly.