Claims that Meta’s data center in Los Lunas, New Mexico, “completely drained” the Rio Grande of water have been circulating online. These claims suggest the facility consumes an enormous amount of water, with one social media post stating it “drinks up 75 million gallons of water every year.”
However, this assertion is false.
While Meta’s Los Lunas data center does utilize tens of millions of gallons of water annually, and the Rio Grande Basin is indeed experiencing significant water stress, the facility’s water source is the municipal system of Los Lunas. This system is supplied by groundwater wells. Meta has confirmed that it does not hold any water rights for the Rio Grande.
A water agreement reviewed by Snopes further clarifies that the village’s municipal permit allows water to be drawn from the underground aquifer. Officials from the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer/Interstate Stream Commission have stated that the primary drivers for the Rio Grande’s drying are historically dry winter conditions, low snowpack, and warm spring temperatures, leading to reduced runoff. They also noted that drought conditions in New Mexico are among the worst on record.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has indicated that natural flows, upstream dam releases, low reservoir storage, and drought are contributing factors to the drying of the river, and there is no evidence to suggest Meta’s data center is a cause.
Meta’s environmental data shows the Los Lunas data center withdrew approximately 67 million gallons of water in 2024 from the Los Lunas municipal system. This water comes from groundwater production wells. The company has stated its goal to become “water positive” by 2030, meaning it aims to restore more water than it consumes in the watersheds where it operates. They have also invested in restoration projects in the Rio Grande watershed.
The widespread reports of the Rio Grande drying in 2026, particularly in stretches near Albuquerque, describe partial drying or the risk of drying, not a complete depletion of the entire river. These reports attribute the conditions to severe drought and poor hydrology.
While data centers do consume significant amounts of water for cooling, and their operations can have indirect water footprints through electricity generation, the claim that Meta’s Los Lunas facility is solely responsible for draining the Rio Grande is unsubstantiated. The actual causes are attributed to broader environmental factors and drought conditions.
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