TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Until this week, a company with zoning approval in Tucson could have relatively unlimited access to Tucson’s water system, even if it was going to use millions of gallons of water.

Now, with the unanimous passage of a new ordinance by the city council, any large water user that wants to gain access to Tucson’s water will have to apply to the city and show its water conservation efforts.

The goal, said Mayor Regina Romero, was to protect the city from large water users like data centers as quickly as possible. “Approving this tonight will help protect us immediately,” Romero said Tuesday.

Details about Tucson water ordinance, data centers

The ordinance comes after weeks of a heady and impassioned debate over Project Blue, a massive and secretive data center proposal

See Full Page