Tucson Water revoked a construction water meter at the Project Blue data center site April 24 after the city discovered its contractor had used two acre-feet of city water without authorization.

The action was detailed in a May 4 letter from Tucson City Manager Tim Thomure to Brendon Gallagher, senior vice president of Beale Infrastructure, the project's developer.

The letter explained that Ames Construction, the project's contractor, obtained a construction water meter, a portable device used to draw water from public systems before permanent lines are available, from Tucson Water Services and transported it to the site.

"The City of Tucson Mayor and Council unanimously rejected any involvement with, or support for, the Project Blue Data Center Development. As such, the City of Tucson also rejected any use of our water resources for this facility," the letter said.

The council voted to block the annexation of Project Blue at an August meeting.

"The city issued a permit for temporary water per the normal course of business. Our contractor followed standard procedure and will be billed accordingly," Beale Infrastructure said in a statement. "We are procuring construction water through an alternative source of non-potable water. We direct any questions on the permit issuance to Tucson Water."

Thomure's letter was unequivocal.

"The City of Tucson does not support the development of Project Blue. The City of Tucson will not provide any city resource, including our water supply to be used for Project Blue," the letter said.

Thomure concluded by requesting Beale replenish the two acre-feet of water it used.

The news of the use of city water traveled fast, with Ward 3 City Councilmember Kevin Dahl posting it on Instagram.

"Not all heroes wear capes," the post said. "Thank you, Tucson City Manager Tim Thomure."

Commenters praised Thomure and expressed anger over the data center, with some calling Beale Infrastructure "sneaky" and one saying the city's action "helped mitigate the existential dread I feel about the data center infestation."

Since the city council blocked the annexation for Project Blue, the mayor and council have been working on a Large Scale Data Center Unified Development Code Amendment with help from the Data Center Code Amendment Technical Advisory Committee.

"Tucson lacks substantial specific guidance for these facilities. This proposed amendment seeks to establish standards and regulations for this land use that reflect Tucson's community values and ensure future developments align with the City's long-term goals," according to the Large Scale Data Center Proposed Code Fact Sheet.

The mayor and council have received public feedback, and the Planning Commission reviewed the code at a May 6 study session. The commission will hold a public hearing in June, followed by a mayor and council discussion and public hearing in July.

Arilynn Hyatt is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at arilynndhyatt@arizona.edu.

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