Amid worsening drought conditions and a potential data center in San Marcos, government officials call for stricter water control.
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra called for Stage 4 restrictions and a moratorium, or pause, on permits for industrial developments that request more than 25,000 gallons of water per day.
Additionally, during its Feb. 17 meeting, the San Marcos city council will hold its first vote on the data center proposed by Armbrust & Brown, PLLC, on behalf of Highlander SM One, LLC, with John Mayberry. As stated during its first presentation on Aug. 19, 2025, the proposed data center would have up to five separate buildings with an estimated total water usage of 20,000 to 35,000 gallons per day.
“However, relying solely on residential conservation is insufficient and unfair when high water demand industrial developments continue to be approved,” Becerra said.
Community members and organizations like the San Marcos Data Center Action Coalition have been organizing forums, protest and public comments to oppose data center applications before the San Marcos city council.
Becerra said the temporary pause will ensure long-term water security for residents and agriculture.
“We cannot allow our aquifers to be depleted in a single generation,” Becerra said. “What takes a millennium to recharge can be lost so quickly.”
Becerra’s call for Stage 4 drought restrictions follows Gov. Greg Abbott’s renewal of a drought disaster proclamation on Jan. 28, aiming to combat the worsening drought in Central Texas.
Most water management authorities in Texas have five levels of drought restrictions, with one being the lowest and five the highest. However, the city of San Marcos only has three levels of restrictions and has been on Stage 3 restrictions for over a year.
The San Marcos River is fed by the San Marcos Springs, Canyon Lake and the Edwards Aquifer. Canyon Lake is currently under Stage 3 water restrictions, while the Edwards Aquifer is at a Stage 4 water restriction.
Jason Julian, professor in the department of geography and environmental studies, said he doesn’t believe San Marcos will run out of water, but the San Marcos River normally flows at 180 cubic feet per second, and it’s now at 80 and declining.
“Roughly 75% of our water comes from Canyon Lake, which is fed by the Guadalupe River, but during a drought like this, I think it’s higher,” Julian said. “We get more than 80% of our water from Canyon Lake right now.”
Julian said the Edwards Aquifer is approaching Stage 5 restrictions, the most severe on its scale. Stage 5 is triggered when the 10-day average Edwards Aquifer index well level reaches below 625 feet above mean sea level. As of Jan. 16, the San Antonio pool, which includes San Marcos, sits at an average of 628.7 feet.
According to Julian, the best way for San Marcos to find a new water source to pull from would be a water study to figure out how much water is available in the area. Hays County recently launched a countywide water study to plan for future needs for the first time since 2011.
Eunsang Cho, assistant professor of civil engineering in the Ingram School of Engineering, said increasing the population leads to a decrease in water quality and the amount of water available.
“If we can imagine, San Marcos River at some point is completely dry, the drought itself [is an] an impact on its own; it disappears our playground,” Cho said. “… As a part of the community [we need] to be interested in how to make these rivers to continue and to make a kind of more sustained source of water.”
Cho said the drought is out of the direct control of residents; however, with effective and holistic management and planning of infrastructure can lead to a better understanding of the drought and minimize people’s water needs.
According to Cho, one of his ongoing research projects is utilizing satellites to capture groundwater patterns and comparing them to the San Marcos River and nearby areas to understand what resources are around.
Virginia Parker, executive director of the San Marcos River Foundation, wrote in an email to The Star that over 2.5 million people get their drinking water from the Edwards Aquifer.
“The population increase means that more people need drinking water and everyday uses, and the increase in industry means that more consistent users of water will depend on a natural resource that is subject to weather patterns,” Parker wrote.
Parker wrote that the San Marcos River Foundation hopes for a shift toward La Niña conditions, which will bring much-needed rain to the area, but also result in an increase in evaporation as the temperatures rise through the spring and summer months.
