Water Use in the Hermiston Area
Water is one of the key resources in Eastern Oregon and a foundation of our economy and livability. The City of Hermiston works hard to manage water responsibly for homes, businesses, and industry.
In recent years, new data centers have come online that also require water for operation in the summer months.
This page is intended to provide clear and easy-to-understand information about how water is used regionally and the needs of residential, agricultural, and industry like data centers.
The information on this page is based on local water system data and public presentations.
Why Hermiston?
Data centers are attracted to the greater Hermiston area because of our climate and Northerly latitude.
Did you know? Hermiston is located farther north than more than half of Canada’s population, including Toronto.
Our region experiences long periods of cool weather each year, allowing data centers to use just outside air for cooling during much of the year. As a result, data centers in the Hermiston area use much less water than similar facilities located in warmer climates.
Most water use in the region, including at hyperscale data centers, occurs during the summer months, when temperatures are hottest and irrigation and cooling is most needed.
Regional Water Use
By far the largest use of water in the Hermiston area is irrigation, including water for lawns, landscaping, and pastures. This outdoor use far exceeds indoor domestic household use. You can see this above, where the monthly water usage for a typical Hermiston home is roughly 6 times more in July than in January.
The table below compares estimated annual water used by different types of land use.
Public information presented by Amazon Web Services (AWS) estimates that a hyperscale campus in the Hermiston area uses approximately 22 million gallons of water annually.
Based on observed operations within the City’s water system, this estimate is consistent with actual operating conditions.
| Type of Use | Gallons/Year |
|---|---|
| Regional Medical Center Complex | 47,000,000 |
| Food Processing Factory | 40,000,000 |
| Elementary School | 23,000,000 |
| Hyperscale Data Center Campus | 22,000,000 |
| Single-Family Home (4 acres - rural) | 3,300,000 |
| Commercial Agriculture (per acre) | 815,000 |
| Fast Food Restaurant | 730,000 |
| Single-Family Home (0.12 acre - urban) | 170,000 |
Regional Water Use
One of the most common questions the City receives is: “How many homes could be supplied with the same amount of water used by a data center?”
The answer depends heavily on where those homes are located and how much outdoor irrigation they use.
Inside City Limits: Within Hermiston city limits, homes are generally located on smaller lots with higher neighborhood density. On average, urban neighborhoods in Hermiston contain about 5 homes per acre. Based on current estimates, one hyperscale data center campus uses approximately the same amount of water annually as 129 homes located within city limits.
Outside City Limits: Outside city limits, many homes are located on 2-acre to 4-acre lots with irrigated lawns, landscaping, and other agriculturally themed hobbies. The Hermiston zip code includes approximately 8,000 residents outside of city limits who live largely in lower-density rural residential areas. Because of the large amount of irrigated land associated with these homes, outdoor water demand can be much higher.
Based on regional irrigation estimates, one hyperscale data center campus uses approximately the same amount of water as between 6 and 12 rural residential homes located outside city limits.
For example, a rural residential neighborhood of 26 homes near the intersection of Punkin Center Road and Glemm Road covers about 58 acres. Approximately 48 acres are irrigated landscaping, such as pasture or lawn area. All but one of the homes have been established since 1994.
Based on regional irrigation estimates, this neighborhood would be expected to use about 40 million gallons of water each year to support the neighborhood. This means that since 1994, this single residential neighborhood has added nearly the equivalent of two hyperscale data center campuses’ annual water demand to the greater Hermiston area.
Further Reading
The City of Hermiston has worked directly with Oregon’s Governor’s Advisory Committee on Data Centers to discuss water use, cooling systems, infrastructure planning and long-term sustainability.
For people interested in more technical information, additional resources are available below.
- Watch the presentation from the City of Hermiston to the Oregon Data Center Advisory Committee (watch here)
- Learn more about the Oregon Data Center Advisory Committee (link)
