In one of California's most water-stressed counties, a company called H2O Power is proposing to build a massive data center complex that would consume up to 4 million gallons of water per day from the Colorado River — a river already pushed to its limits.

Imperial County is home to some of the most productive farmland in the country. Farmers here feed millions of Americans, and they do it by carefully managing every drop of water from the Colorado River. The river is already over-allocated, with seven states and 40 million people depending on its flow. Now, a tech company wants to claim a share so large it would rival the needs of thousands of farm families.

This is not a trade we can afford to make. Data centers can be built anywhere in the country. Imperial County farmland cannot be relocated. The water that sustains it cannot be replaced.

The proposed project would also do little for local residents. The jobs created are few, the water consumed is staggering, and once a water right is granted, it is nearly impossible to reverse. We would be trading a permanent community resource for a temporary economic promise.

We call on the Imperial County Board of Supervisors and the California State Water Resources Control Board to:

• Deny any water permits for H2O Power's proposed data center in Imperial County
• Require full environmental review of the project's impact on Colorado River water allocations
• Prioritize agricultural water rights over industrial tech development in drought-stressed regions
• Establish a moratorium on new water-intensive industrial projects in counties facing Colorado River shortage conditions

The Colorado River is not a sacrifice zone for Big Tech. Tell Imperial County and state regulators: not one drop.