The Daily Drip

The Lead

Casa Grande, AZData centers and our waterOur land, our sayDrought, aquifers and supply4The right to be heard

One vote. 97 million gallons a year. In the desert.

What’s going on

Casa Grande, Arizona’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6–1 to approve the Grande Valley Data Center: a data center, battery and natural gas complex on 954 acres about 8 miles from downtown. No City Council vote was required. The city capped its water use at 300 acre-feet a year, about 97 million gallons, for cooling and on-site gas power. There’s no cap on energy. Ten people spoke at the hearing and all but one opposed it; the city got 17 emails against and three in favor.

Our take

A cap isn’t a meter. Ninety-seven million gallons is a promise about the future, and a promise is only as good as whoever checks it. One speaker who works for a water district put it plainly: “We convey water for agricultural lands, and we are in a drought.” For every town getting a data center, the question isn’t only how much water. It’s who measures it, how often and where residents can see the numbers.

Read the original reporting: KJZZ

What you can do

1. Ask for the data center’s water numbersGet the words

   To: your county commission or city council. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

   Hi, I live at [your address]. For the data center proposed or operating here: how many gallons a day will it use at full build, from which source, who meters it, how often will the readings be public, and is any of it covered by a nondisclosure agreement? Please answer in writing before the vote. Thank you.Copy the words
2. See what’s planned near youOpen
3. Share this storyShare

The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Data centers and our water. We’ll bring the data.

Today’s Action · two minutes

Ask for the data center’s water numbers

Two minutes, one email. A data center’s water numbers should be public before the vote, not after.

To: your county commission or city council. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

Hi, I live at [your address]. For the data center proposed or operating here: how many gallons a day will it use at full build, from which source, who meters it, how often will the readings be public, and is any of it covered by a nondisclosure agreement? Please answer in writing before the vote. Thank you.Copy the words

1. NationwideWater bills and shutoffsWho runs our water?5The right to basic needs

   Your water bill grew 62% in ten years. Did your paycheck?

   Water bills at the 500 largest U.S. systems rose 62% from 2015 to 2025, 1.6 times the rate of inflation. In 93% of those systems, water is now unaffordable for low-income households.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   Food & Water Watch compared 2015 and 2025 drinking water bills at the 500 largest U.S. systems, which serve more than 155 million people. The typical bill rose 62%: 1.6 times the rate of inflation, more than twice the rate of groceries and 19% faster than median household income. A household using 60,000 gallons paid an average of $531 last year. In 93% of the systems studied, water is now unaffordable for low-income households. Corporate-owned systems charged typical households 67% more than public ones, about $329 a year.

   Our take

   Water’s the one bill you can’t shop around. You can’t switch providers and you can’t stop drinking, so when the price climbs this fast, the families who fall behind first are the ones who can least afford a shutoff. The Georgia note: many of the country’s 25 cheapest systems are in Georgia and Florida, and all 25 are publicly owned. Who runs your water shows up on your bill.

   Read the original reporting: FOX 5 Atlanta and Inside Climate News

   What you can do

   1. Ask about bill helpGet the words

      To: your water utility. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I’m a customer at [your address]. What bill assistance, payment plans or shutoff protections do you offer, and is a rate increase being proposed? Thank you.Copy the words
   2. Ask who answers for your waterGet the words

      To: your city council. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I live at [your address]. Who owns and runs our water system today, who sets our rates, and when is the next public meeting where residents can speak about it? Thank you.Copy the words
   3. Share this storyShare

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Water bills and shutoffs. We’ll bring the data.
2. Philadelphia, PAWater in schoolsLead pipes1The right to safety

   Lead in the taps that cook school lunch

   About one in ten Philadelphia schools had high lead in the kitchen taps used to cook student meals. One sink tested at 6,200 parts per billion.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   Grid Magazine reports that about one in ten Philadelphia public schools had high lead levels in the kitchen faucets used to prepare student meals. One kitchen sink tested at 6,200 parts per billion. Rules written for drinking fountains can miss the taps that fill the pots.

   Our take

   Parents ask about the water fountain. Almost nobody asks about the kitchen. If a school only tests where kids drink, it can miss where their food is cooked. Ask your school which taps were tested, including kitchen sinks, and what happened to any tap over the limit.

   Read the original reporting: Grid Magazine

   What you can do

   1. Ask for your school’s lead resultsGet the words

      To: your school district. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, my child attends [school]. When was the drinking water last tested for lead, at which taps (including kitchen sinks), and what were the results? Please share the report and the plan for any tap over the limit. Thank you.Copy the words
   2. Bring water testing to your schoolOpen
   3. Check what’s in your waterEnter your ZIP

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Water in schools. We’ll bring the data.
3. NationwidePFAS, the forever chemicalsWater bills and shutoffs1The right to safety

   Same forever chemicals. Smaller town, bigger bill.

   A new study of 82 water systems found the smallest pay the most per gallon to remove PFAS. Same chemicals, smaller town, bigger bill.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   A new study in Nature Communications modeled PFAS treatment at 82 U.S. water systems where PFOA or PFOS tested above 4 parts per trillion, from systems treating about 30,000 gallons a day up to 75 million. The researchers called system size the “overarching driver” of cost: the smallest systems paid the most per unit of water treated. They compared the two common fixes, activated carbon and ion exchange resin. Ion exchange had the lower environmental impact in 8 of 9 categories.

   Our take

   PFAS doesn’t read the population sign at the edge of town. Small and rural systems usually have the fewest staff and the thinnest budgets, and now the data says they’ll pay the most per gallon to remove the same chemicals as a big city. That’s a fairness problem hiding inside a chemistry problem. If you’re on a small system, ask now which PFAS it tests for and how it plans to pay for treatment.

   Read the original reporting: Western Water

   What you can do

   1. Ask which PFAS your utility testsGet the words

      To: your water utility. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I’m a customer at [your address]. Which PFAS does our water system test for, how often, and what were the latest results for each? What’s the plan if any are over the limits? Please answer in writing. Thank you.Copy the words
   2. See your system’s PFAS results (EPA UCMR 5)Opens the tool
   3. Check what’s in your waterEnter your ZIP

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on PFAS, the forever chemicals. We’ll bring the data.

The Classroom Drip · grades 6–12 · one class period

One vote. 97 million gallons a year. In the desert.

Data centers are buildings full of computers that run apps, websites and AI. The computers get hot, and many data centers use water to cool them. In Casa Grande, Arizona, city leaders approved a huge new data center and said it can use up to 97 million gallons of water a year. That’s about 147 Olympic swimming pools. Arizona is in the desert, where water is precious. Ten people spoke at the meeting, and all but one were against it. The city set a limit on water, but the news story didn’t say who will measure it.

Talk about it

If a company promises to use less than a set amount of water, who should check, and how should the town find out?

Student Scientist

Find your school’s water meter with a custodian, read it at the start and end of one school day, and work out how many gallons the school used. How many school days would it take your school to use 97 million gallons?

Teachers: bring Guardians of H2O™ to your school at aquagenuity.com/guardiansk12.

Today’s water, by right

Every story is filed under one of the eight consumer rights. Today’s edition touched 3 of the eight; each glass fills with its stories. This count feeds the Water Rights Index™.

1. 2
   The right to safety
2. 0
   The right to be informed
3. 0
   The right to choose
4. 1
   The right to be heard
5. 1
   The right to basic needs
6. 0
   The right to redress
7. 0
   The right to education
8. 0
   The right to a healthy environment

Guardian Season · Mar 15 – Jun 5, 2027

Spring 2027 Guardian Season opens on World Consumer Rights Day.

Become a Guardian. It’s free.

Sign the Guardian Declaration and get The Right to Know, the eight rights behind every glass of water, plus The Daily Drip every weekday morning.

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