[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":354},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header":3,"footer":26,"footer-cities":54,"content-\u002Fnews\u002Fexperts-tell-valley-growers-demand-water-numbers-from-ai-data-centers":235},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":10,"extension":13,"links":14,"meta":20,"navigation":21,"path":22,"seo":23,"stem":24,"__hash__":25},"header\u002Fheader.md","Central Valley AI",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":9},"minimark",[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":12},"",2,[],"md",[15],{"label":16,"to":17,"icon":19},"News",{"path":18},"\u002Fnews\u002F","mdi-newspaper-variant-outline",{},true,"\u002Fheader",{"title":5,"description":10},"header","ceT4J-WxxOBdbhRC-UD3fo0Npu7vWt2o2B9b_LURPmE",{"id":27,"title":28,"body":29,"copyright":33,"description":10,"developedBy":34,"extension":13,"links":41,"meta":49,"navigation":21,"path":50,"seo":51,"stem":52,"__hash__":53},"footer\u002Ffooter.md","Footer",{"type":7,"value":30,"toc":31},[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":32},[],"© {year} All rights reserved.",{"label":35,"link":36},"Developed by",{"label":37,"to":38,"target":39,"logo":40},"Kaweah Tech","https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech","_blank","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.kaweah.tech\u002Flogo-black-on-transparent-tight.svg",[42,43,46],{"label":16,"to":18},{"label":44,"to":45},"About","\u002Fabout\u002F",{"label":47,"to":48},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{},"\u002Ffooter",{"description":10},"footer","Ras2AGS8Wuda4aBPrbAbOivaxIsAoDbo9SNCA0w554g",[55,85,123,154,181,208],{"id":56,"title":57,"body":58,"county":77,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":78,"meta":79,"navigation":21,"path":80,"seo":81,"stem":82,"tag":83,"__hash__":84},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield.md","Bakersfield",{"type":7,"value":59,"toc":74},[60,65],[61,62,64],"h2",{"id":63},"ai-in-bakersfield","AI in Bakersfield",[66,67,68,69,73],"p",{},"Bakersfield's AI conversation sits at the intersection of municipal government, the ",[70,71,72],"strong",{},"California State University Bakersfield"," community, and the energy and ag operators that drive Kern County's economy. The city was an early mover on AI-assisted permitting and has been a recurring backdrop for parent- and teacher-led debates about classroom AI use. Articles below follow specific Bakersfield initiatives, public-meeting decisions, and Kern County workforce stories — and how they reflect national AI trends from a regional vantage point.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":75},[76],{"id":63,"depth":11,"text":64},"Kern County","Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County are home to some of the most concrete AI-in-government experiments in the Central Valley, from instant municipal permitting to school-district debates about classroom AI. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is reshaping public services, education, and the energy and agriculture economies that dominate the region.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield",{"title":57,"description":10},"cities\u002Fbakersfield","bakersfield","ozFL4HvDA_g7UrRE1mHbKqcS-vDLwbiH9JWVh3rB2Ac",{"id":86,"title":87,"body":88,"county":115,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":116,"meta":117,"navigation":21,"path":118,"seo":119,"stem":120,"tag":121,"__hash__":122},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno.md","Fresno",{"type":7,"value":89,"toc":112},[90,94,109],[61,91,93],{"id":92},"ai-in-fresno","AI in Fresno",[66,95,96,97,100,101,104,105,108],{},"Fresno's AI story spans several distinct ecosystems. ",[70,98,99],{},"Fresno State"," and the ",[70,102,103],{},"California State University"," system anchor a workforce-readiness push, while local ",[70,106,107],{},"Fresno Unified School District"," debates around responsible use have made the city a recurring reference point in California's K-12 AI conversation. The city's economic base in agriculture, healthcare, and public services means most AI adoption stories here are about applied uses rather than model development — a different posture than coastal tech hubs but arguably more consequential for the people living here.",[66,110,111],{},"Use the articles below to follow how AI is showing up in Fresno-area institutions and businesses.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":113},[114],{"id":92,"depth":11,"text":93},"Fresno County","Fresno is the largest city in California's Central Valley and the regional center for AI adoption across agriculture, healthcare, higher education, and small business. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being applied — and contested — in and around the city of Fresno and Fresno County.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno",{"title":87,"description":10},"cities\u002Ffresno","fresno","gOL2xk8y9t9OV6PPxP02OjYhZFHC_Cg-VGijh_V93dI",{"id":124,"title":125,"body":126,"county":146,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":147,"meta":148,"navigation":21,"path":149,"seo":150,"stem":151,"tag":152,"__hash__":153},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced.md","Merced",{"type":7,"value":127,"toc":143},[128,132],[61,129,131],{"id":130},"ai-in-merced","AI in Merced",[66,133,134,135,138,139,142],{},"Merced is a research-heavy node in the Central Valley AI ecosystem. ",[70,136,137],{},"UC Merced"," faculty appear in national conversations about AI safety, autonomous vehicles, climate modeling, and pediatric health applications, while the ",[70,140,141],{},"Merced Unified School District"," and surrounding county institutions navigate the same K-12 and workforce questions the rest of the Valley faces. The articles below cover both the campus research story and the broader applied uses around the city and county.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":144},[145],{"id":130,"depth":11,"text":131},"Merced County","Merced punches above its weight in AI research, anchored by UC Merced — a leading West Coast hub for AI in agriculture, climate, autonomous systems, and health. Coverage on this page tracks both academic research coming out of the campus and how AI is showing up across Merced's schools, businesses, and county institutions.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced",{"title":125,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmerced","merced","pSWWlEzMdcv2_RZrUKdkEHU3bixNboePGdHbSdd1m34",{"id":155,"title":156,"body":157,"county":173,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":174,"meta":175,"navigation":21,"path":176,"seo":177,"stem":178,"tag":179,"__hash__":180},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto.md","Modesto",{"type":7,"value":158,"toc":170},[159,163],[61,160,162],{"id":161},"ai-in-modesto","AI in Modesto",[66,164,165,166,169],{},"Modesto's AI conversation tends to combine ag-tech adoption stories with workforce-readiness questions for the city's small and mid-sized employers. ",[70,167,168],{},"CSU Stanislaus"," and the regional community college network shape the higher-ed angle. Coverage below follows Modesto-area AI announcements and the wider Stanislaus County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":171},[172],{"id":161,"depth":11,"text":162},"Stanislaus County","Modesto and Stanislaus County sit between the Bay Area and the southern Valley, and their AI story reflects that bridging role — from agriculture and food processing to the **California State University Stanislaus** community to small businesses adapting to AI-driven changes in marketing, hiring, and operations.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto",{"title":156,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmodesto","modesto","l75Dc40MX8wTb4lD088Yx9we4ypuDwmcvE-uEdqqREc",{"id":182,"title":183,"body":184,"county":200,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":201,"meta":202,"navigation":21,"path":203,"seo":204,"stem":205,"tag":206,"__hash__":207},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton.md","Stockton",{"type":7,"value":185,"toc":197},[186,190],[61,187,189],{"id":188},"ai-in-stockton","AI in Stockton",[66,191,192,193,196],{},"Stockton's economic base in logistics, healthcare, and higher education gives the city a different AI profile than the southern Valley. ",[70,194,195],{},"University of the Pacific"," anchors the academic conversation, while San Joaquin County government, hospitals, and warehouse operators are navigating practical adoption questions: cost, training, security, workforce impact. The articles below track Stockton-area AI announcements and the broader San Joaquin County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":198},[199],{"id":188,"depth":11,"text":189},"San Joaquin County","Stockton and San Joaquin County sit at the northern edge of the Central Valley, where logistics, healthcare, and the University of the Pacific shape the local AI adoption story. Coverage on this page follows how AI is being put to work — and questioned — across San Joaquin County's institutions, employers, and public services.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton",{"title":183,"description":10},"cities\u002Fstockton","stockton","TYEBK9akp2HbpAFmYY67FeKt7Rs7L8tvtYeQBtgJAHw",{"id":209,"title":210,"body":211,"county":227,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":228,"meta":229,"navigation":21,"path":230,"seo":231,"stem":232,"tag":233,"__hash__":234},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia.md","Visalia",{"type":7,"value":212,"toc":224},[213,217],[61,214,216],{"id":215},"ai-in-visalia","AI in Visalia",[66,218,219,220,223],{},"Visalia's AI footprint is grounded in the practical adoption stories that come with a Tulare County economy built around agriculture, food processing, and rural healthcare. ",[70,221,222],{},"College of the Sequoias"," and the surrounding K-12 districts anchor the education conversation. The articles below cover Visalia-area AI developments and the Tulare County context, with a focus on applied uses rather than research or model development.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":225},[226],{"id":215,"depth":11,"text":216},"Tulare County","Visalia is the largest city in Tulare County and a center for agriculture, healthcare, and county-government services in the southern Central Valley. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being adopted across Tulare County's schools, hospitals, ag operations, and small business community.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia",{"title":210,"description":10},"cities\u002Fvisalia","visalia","gN4g7aAl-cqD4FfSTgtTAarltUoKLh8NFlPzCbZngqU",{"id":236,"title":237,"archived":238,"author":239,"body":240,"date":341,"dateModified":341,"description":342,"extension":13,"meta":343,"navigation":21,"path":344,"rawbody":345,"seo":346,"sitemap":347,"stem":348,"tags":349,"__hash__":353},"news\u002Fnews\u002Fexperts-tell-valley-growers-demand-water-numbers-from-ai-data-centers.md","Experts tell Valley growers: demand water numbers from AI data centers",false,"Marta Reyes",{"type":7,"value":241,"toc":334},[242,246,250,266,270,273,276,279,283,286,289,293,296,299,302,305,321,324,328],[243,244,237],"h1",{"id":245},"experts-tell-valley-growers-demand-water-numbers-from-ai-data-centers",[61,247,249],{"id":248},"key-takeaways","Key Takeaways",[251,252,253,257,260,263],"ol",{},[254,255,256],"li",{},"An Aug. 27 Agri-Pulse webinar warned rural boards about AI data center water use.",[254,258,259],{},"Loudoun County’s Mike Turner said data centers use about 10% of his county’s potable water.",[254,261,262],{},"Proposed edge-node centers at Tulare and Kings fairgrounds would use closed-loop cooling without municipal hookups, the developer says.",[254,264,265],{},"Panelists urged local officials not to sign NDAs with developers.",[61,267,269],{"id":268},"what-experts-said-thursday","What experts said Thursday",[66,271,272],{},"\"Ask for the gallons, every year.\" Mike Turner didn’t dress it up. The Loudoun County, Va., supervisor told a Valley audience Thursday that AI data centers can put a dent in local supplies if communities don’t pin developers down in writing early. He said centers in his county account for roughly a tenth of potable water use. That number traveled fast on the Zoom call.",[66,274,275],{},"Turner’s list was short: require specific annual water volumes, get the cooling design in plain English, find out if the source is recycled or potable, and ask how the outfit will treat wastewater. He added one more. Don’t sign non-disclosure agreements with data center companies. \"The public is demanding transparency,\" he said.",[66,277,278],{},"It was hot in the Valley this week. The thermometer on my dash read 82 at noon.",[61,280,282],{"id":281},"where-valley-projects-stand","Where Valley projects stand",[66,284,285],{},"Two edge-node AI proposals on Central Valley fairgrounds, one in Tulare County and one in Kings County, have drawn early opposition. The units are the size of a shipping container. The developer, Global Stack USA, says they would run closed-loop cooling and wouldn’t tap a city or community water system. The fair boards haven’t scheduled votes, and staff said the items won’t come back for months.",[66,287,288],{},"That timeline matters for growers watching allocations and thinking through next year’s cuts. If a project shows up on an agenda, Turner said, the first document to ask for is a clear accounting of how the cooling system charges, how often it needs make-up water, and what line it comes from. Hard questions first.",[61,290,292],{"id":291},"what-boards-and-growers-can-ask","What boards and growers can ask",[66,294,295],{},"Panelists steered local boards toward conditions that can be written into permits. Require a closed-loop system for any new build. Require metering with quarterly public reports. Require recycled water where feasible, and spell out how heat and noise will be managed on site. If a developer balks, Turner said, that’s useful information before anyone starts trenching a line.",[66,297,298],{},"For growers, the homework looks familiar. Check which agency controls the water a project would use, then read that agency’s supply outlook and constraints. If it’s a district well field or a municipal plant that also serves ag users, push for priority language to protect ag deliveries in dry years. Ask for a decommissioning plan and bond so the county isn’t left with orphaned hardware.",[66,300,301],{},"One more note from the call stuck with me. Air cooling works for traditional centers, but AI racks run hotter, which pushes more projects toward water-based systems. That’s the fork in the road for Valley boards. If a project isn’t truly closed-loop, you’ll feel it when July hits.",[66,303,304],{},"\"We would not allow a data center in this modern environment that wasn’t on a closed-loop water system,\" Turner said.",[66,306,307],{},[308,309,310,311,314,315,320],"em",{},"Central Valley AI is produced by the ",[70,312,313],{},"CVAI Newsdesk"," team and developed by ",[316,317,37],"a",{"href":38,"rel":318},[319],"nofollow",", a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.",[322,323],"hr",{},[61,325,327],{"id":326},"source","Source",[66,329,330],{},[316,331,332],{"href":332,"rel":333},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.fresnobee.com\u002Fnews\u002Flocal\u002Farticle317056355.html",[319],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":335},[336,337,338,339,340],{"id":248,"depth":11,"text":249},{"id":268,"depth":11,"text":269},{"id":281,"depth":11,"text":282},{"id":291,"depth":11,"text":292},{"id":326,"depth":11,"text":327},"2026-08-30","At a Thursday webinar, panelists urged Central Valley boards and residents to require clear water-use details, cooling plans, and no NDAs from AI data center developers.",{},"\u002Fnews\u002Fexperts-tell-valley-growers-demand-water-numbers-from-ai-data-centers","---\nauthor: Marta Reyes\ndate: '2026-08-30'\ndateModified: '2026-08-30'\ndescription: At a Thursday webinar, panelists urged Central Valley boards and residents\n  to require clear water-use details, cooling plans, and no NDAs from AI data center\n  developers.\ntags:\n- agriculture\n- water\n- central valley\ntitle: 'Experts tell Valley growers: demand water numbers from AI data centers'\n---\n\n# Experts tell Valley growers: demand water numbers from AI data centers\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n1. An Aug. 27 Agri-Pulse webinar warned rural boards about AI data center water use.\n2. Loudoun County’s Mike Turner said data centers use about 10% of his county’s potable water.\n3. Proposed edge-node centers at Tulare and Kings fairgrounds would use closed-loop cooling without municipal hookups, the developer says.\n4. Panelists urged local officials not to sign NDAs with developers.\n\n## What experts said Thursday\n\n\"Ask for the gallons, every year.\" Mike Turner didn’t dress it up. The Loudoun County, Va., supervisor told a Valley audience Thursday that AI data centers can put a dent in local supplies if communities don’t pin developers down in writing early. He said centers in his county account for roughly a tenth of potable water use. That number traveled fast on the Zoom call.\n\nTurner’s list was short: require specific annual water volumes, get the cooling design in plain English, find out if the source is recycled or potable, and ask how the outfit will treat wastewater. He added one more. Don’t sign non-disclosure agreements with data center companies. \"The public is demanding transparency,\" he said.\n\nIt was hot in the Valley this week. The thermometer on my dash read 82 at noon.\n\n## Where Valley projects stand\n\nTwo edge-node AI proposals on Central Valley fairgrounds, one in Tulare County and one in Kings County, have drawn early opposition. The units are the size of a shipping container. The developer, Global Stack USA, says they would run closed-loop cooling and wouldn’t tap a city or community water system. The fair boards haven’t scheduled votes, and staff said the items won’t come back for months.\n\nThat timeline matters for growers watching allocations and thinking through next year’s cuts. If a project shows up on an agenda, Turner said, the first document to ask for is a clear accounting of how the cooling system charges, how often it needs make-up water, and what line it comes from. Hard questions first.\n\n## What boards and growers can ask\n\nPanelists steered local boards toward conditions that can be written into permits. Require a closed-loop system for any new build. Require metering with quarterly public reports. Require recycled water where feasible, and spell out how heat and noise will be managed on site. If a developer balks, Turner said, that’s useful information before anyone starts trenching a line.\n\nFor growers, the homework looks familiar. Check which agency controls the water a project would use, then read that agency’s supply outlook and constraints. If it’s a district well field or a municipal plant that also serves ag users, push for priority language to protect ag deliveries in dry years. Ask for a decommissioning plan and bond so the county isn’t left with orphaned hardware.\n\nOne more note from the call stuck with me. Air cooling works for traditional centers, but AI racks run hotter, which pushes more projects toward water-based systems. That’s the fork in the road for Valley boards. If a project isn’t truly closed-loop, you’ll feel it when July hits.\n\n\"We would not allow a data center in this modern environment that wasn’t on a closed-loop water system,\" Turner said.\n\n*Central Valley AI is produced by the **CVAI Newsdesk** team and developed by [Kaweah Tech](https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech), a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.*\n\n---\n\n## Source\n\nhttps:\u002F\u002Fwww.fresnobee.com\u002Fnews\u002Flocal\u002Farticle317056355.html\n",{"title":237,"description":342},{"loc":344},"news\u002Fexperts-tell-valley-growers-demand-water-numbers-from-ai-data-centers",[350,351,352],"agriculture","water","central valley","pqlJFtAcuBBmlDxvlVcQjNlsuhMw0I2SGxH_NcjcPPk",1788092290956]