Data centers are being built in small towns like Wilmer across Texas, but their impact on communities is still unclear.

The small town of Wilmer, in southeast Dallas County, is becoming a hotspot for data centers. City and county leaders say the arrival of two new facilities will ultimately benefit the community, but residents say they need better roads and a grocery store – not more industry. Data centers spreading rapidly across Texas require a significant amount of water and electricity, but state lawmakers say they do not have reliable information about how much water the industry is consuming or how that will impact the state’s water-scarce future. A recent legislative hearing revealed that most data centers surveyed by the state have not provided the required data.