- Micron’s expansion could more than double its daily water consumption levels
- Environmental disclosures reveal large volumes of daily releases into the system
- Residents and farms rely on the same aquifers as industrial users
Micron is expanding its semiconductor manufacturing operations in Boise, Idaho, with a $50 billion investment that includes two new manufacturing facilities.
While its existing plant already consumes 4.7 million gallons of water each day, the first new plant would increase daily consumption to 10.2 million gallons, or enough to fill about 15.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools each day.
A second, slightly smaller facility is also planned, which would add even more water demand to this figure.
Where Micron currently gets its water and why it matters
The company currently draws water from three different sources to maintain its Boise operations and pumps millions of gallons directly from the ground each day using its own water rights.
It also receives water from the Nampa Meridian Irrigation District, which gets its water from the Boise River, and additionally purchases treated water from Veolia, a private municipal water utility.
A 2024 environmental impact statement for the first expansion found the new plant would use 5.5 million gallons per day and release about 2.9 million gallons into the system.
When asked how much water the new plants would use and where that water would come from, Micron declined to provide specific answers, with a company spokesperson offering only a general statement about water efficiency commitments and conservation goals.
Micron has promised to achieve a 75% water conservation rate globally by 2030 through recycling and reuse programs.
However, the company has not explained how this goal applies to the new Boise plants or where the additional water will come from.
Veolia also did not respond to questions about how much water it supplies to Micron from its wastewater treatment plants.
Why water availability is a sensitive issue in the Idaho desert
Boise is in the high desert of southwest Idaho, where water is a limited and contested resource.
In the 1990s, Micron drew intense public criticism when its manufacturing operations caused a sharp decline in local groundwater levels.
The state established a groundwater management zone around the company in 1994 to monitor and supervise water rights.
Even today, the Idaho Department of Water Resources can only have a partial picture of Micron’s total water consumption through its permitted entitlements.
The company has not filed an environmental impact study for the second plant, leaving regulators and the public in the dark about its total future water demand.
Idaho residents rely on the same aquifers that Micron pumps from, and any significant drop in water levels would affect area homes, farms and businesses.
Micron’s silence on where it will find billions of gallons of new water isn’t just a lack of transparency; it’s a bet on a resource that the desert cannot easily replace.
The company’s projects are fueled by demand for AI, but AI doesn’t work on water; people and crops do it, and they don’t have a backup plan if the wells go dry.
Via BoiseDev
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