AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.

Large data centers that begin operating in Utah on or after July 1, 2026 — defined as facilities using at least 75 acre-feet of water annually and covering at least 10,000 square feet — would be required to notify their local water provider of anticipated water needs at least 90 days before construction begins, and to report estimated water withdrawals, discharge plans, and water reuse plans to the state Division of Water Rights before construction and then annually once operating. Local governments approving land use applications for these facilities would have to notify the Division of Water Rights, the Division of Water Quality, and relevant water providers. Most of this reported data would be published on the division's public website by county and by facility, though the bill would allow certain sensitive details — such as pollution-prevention efforts and specific conservation methods — to be withheld as proprietary information if the operator meets confidentiality requirements, with the state still required to release aggregated, anonymized versions of that protected data each year. Operators who fail to submit required reports, or who submit incomplete ones, could face fines of up to $100 per day, enforced through the state engineer's existing water violation process.