West San Antonio campus

Microsoft · San Antonio, Texas

Water — consumed, not returned

Taken from the basin967M gal/yr
Evaporated on site480M gal
Making the power487M gal
Basin stressExtremely High
Where the water comes from
Reclaimed / recycled water
Cooling
Evaporative towers on SAWS recycled water
Basis
Fitted to a published figure of 480 million gallons a year

Air — what the stacks emit

Nitrogen oxides304t/yr
Sulphur dioxide347t/yr
Fine particulates47.8t PM2.5
Health damages$42.2M/yr
Where it burns
ERCOT — Texas
Generation mix
Gas 40 · Wind 24 · Solar 11 · Coal 13 · Nuclear 9
CO₂e
764 kt/yr — climate, not air quality

Who wanted it

Who asked for it
Microsoft — self-build and Azure customers
Who approved it
City of San Antonio + Bexar County incentives; San Antonio Water System recycled-water contract
What it serves
Azure south-central US region
IT capacity
300 MW running of 600 MW announced

Runs largely on SAWS reclaimed water rather than potable supply, which is the mitigation most often proposed elsewhere. Even so, in a city under recurring Stage 3 drought restrictions the volumes remain politically contested.

water-stressed basin

Where it is

29.4241°, -98.7200°

Water and air figures are modelled from disclosed capacity, not measured — site-level error is roughly ±40%. Diesel backup generators are not counted, so on-site figures are floors. Full method.