Oklahoma Data Center Leak Drains Three Million Gallons of Water

A major data center leak in Oklahoma has drained approximately three million gallons of water from El Reno's system, forcing schools to close and prompting concerns about the environmental impact of rapidly expanding data centers.

The leak was traced to a private water line serving Athlon BT's data center, which specializes in artificial intelligence storage and Bitcoin mining. However, city officials claim that the facility may have operated without final occupancy approval, despite being issued a building permit in 2021 and beginning construction shortly after.

A stop-work order was issued in June 2023 due to multiple safety code violations, but it appears that Athlon continued construction and eventually began operating the facility anyway. The city has not yet confirmed this conclusion, but officials are preparing legal action to recover costs associated with the leak and restore normal water pressure.