Earth in Crisis: Denver Is Parched
Under Stage 1 Drought Conditions, It’s Time To Rethink Water-Guzzlers Like Fracking And Data Centers
By Tracey MacDermott | For the GPHN
A quarter of our state is now considered to be under “exceptional drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
We already know that the drought greatly impacted the state’s 2025-26 ski season, and many of the mountains closed early. Here on the Front Range, Denver Water has declared a Stage1 drought, notifying customers that outdoor water use will be limited through the summer months to no more than two days a week. The goal is a 20 percent reduction in water use. This is the fifth time since 2000 that a Stage 1 drought has been declared.
You may recall that in 2023, Colorado suffered significant drought conditions that reduced reservoir levels — which, among other realities, negatively affects agricultural irrigation.
At the same time, our state has turned on the tap to fracking and data center facilities — both of which are notoriously high-water-use industries.
As Inside Climate News recently noted, “in the middle of the longest-running drought in more than 1,000 years, Colorado energy companies diverted rising volumes of the state’s freshwater resources for fracking.”
In addition to using huge amounts of water, fracking risks spills that can contaminate groundwater and nearby waterways. When we are limited in water supply, should it be put at risk for fracking? Why risk this when safe alternative energy sources exist?
A 2023 report from FracTracker Alliance found that Colorado fracking companies doubled their freshwater use in the previous 10 years. Oil companies argue that they use recycled water from previous fracking operations. Opponents say that the amount of recycled water is only a small percentage.
The Environmental Protection Agency requires fracking operators to treat or dispose of millions of gallons of water, as it is contaminated when it returns to the surface. This removes water from the water cycle, making it no longer available.
In November, Denver Congresswoman Diana DeGette, along with other sponsors, introduced a set of five bills aimed at protecting public health from the dangers of hydraulic fracking. The set of bills — referred to as the Frack Pack — would eliminate a loophole under which fracking fluids are exempted from regulation under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA). The ultimate goal is to hold the oil and gas industry accountable for pollution that threatens clean air, safe drinking water and the health of communities across the country. This package of bills has not passed the Republican-controlled House.
Meanwhile, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute and others, recently highlighted data centers’ thirst for water. Data centers need water to cool processor chips.
The World Resources Institute notes that two-thirds of all data centers built or in development since 2022 are in water-stressed areas. One large data center is currently being built in Globeville — just a few miles northwest of Park Hill. Once online, the facility will consume 805,000 gallons of water daily — or roughly the daily usage of 16,000 people
Data centers power our modern life. But as Denver customers are asked to reduce water use, shouldn’t high water use — including by data centers and fracking operations — be scrutinized?
What can you do? Sign the open letter of support to stop the expansion of fracking in Colorado: safeandhealthyco.org. Get educated on both fracking and data center risks on our climate. Contact your legislator and ask them what they are doing to protect our state and our water supply.
We can all make changes at home. Follow the Denver Water restrictions on outdoor use. Here are but a few other tips: Take shorter showers, install a grey water system, replace your toilet with a more efficient model. We all have a part to play.
Tracey MacDermott is an at-large board member of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. She was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2017. She chairs the Sustainability Committee for the Business and Professional Women of Colorado and the National Federation for Business and Professional Women. Email her at traceymacdermott@gmail.com