For Immediate Release:
January 15, 2026
Contact:
Ashley Castaneda, ashley@restorethedelta.org
Stockton, Calif. – As artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure rapidly expands, a new white paper released today by Restore the Delta finds significant risks to water supplies, energy systems, ecosystems, and local communities as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta emerges as a major hub for AI-driven data centers.
The report, The Environmental Justice Implications of Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, is the first comprehensive analysis of how AI-related industrial expansion could reshape the Delta region. The research concludes that the massive infrastructure required to support AI technologies, energy and water-intensive data centers pose serious and underregulated threats to California’s most important estuary.
“Data centers require enormous amounts of power and water, and the Delta is already stretched to its limits”, said Esther Mburu, Carbon & Energy Program Manager for Restore the Delta. “Without swift, community-centered action, this buildout risks intensifying water scarcity, accelerating ecosystem degradation, and further burdening communities already facing disproportionate pollution and related health impacts.”
According to the report, a typical 100 megawatt data center can consume approximately 2 million liters of water per day, placing additional strain on the Delta’s already overdrawn groundwater resources and fragile surface water systems. At the same time, the energy demands of AI are surging, with data centers accounting for 4.4% of U.S. electricity use in 2023 and projected to increase to 6.7-12% by 2028. These trends threaten grid reliability, increase energy costs for ratepayers, and contribute to local air pollution.
AI infrastructure is already taking hold in the Delta, particularly in cities like Stockton, Tracy, and Pittsburg. The report situates this development within a broader wave of proposed transformation, including the Delta Conveyance Project and industrial energy projects that could compound social and environmental inequities. Many existing and proposed data centers are located near low-income communities that have deep cultural connections to Delta ecosystems and already experience high levels of pollution.
The report highlights the ecological stakes of data center expansion in the region, including increased water withdrawals and habitat loss further endangering key species such as Delta smelt and Chinook salmon. These species are critical not only to local ecosystems, but also to the cultural practices of local Tribes. Despite these major risks, the white paper finds that California lacks a comprehensive regulatory framework to govern AI infrastructure. The state also lacks AI-specific standards for resource use, emissions, or community protections.
The new report serves as an educational resource, while also urging decision-makers and Delta communities to establish guiding principles and guardrails before AI-driven development accelerates further.
Read the full white paper here.
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