A Tucson recycling and green waste facility says it has stopped providing water to construction crews at the Project Blue data center construction site after public backlash.
The latest hurdle for data center developers started after a social media post from the community group No Desert Data Center Coalition reported Tank’s Green Stuff was providing water to the site for dust control using water from wells on one of its properties.
The Star confirmed the post’s claims with public well registries and filings with the Arizona Corporation Commission.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources Well Registry lists Shetland Properties Co., LLC, as the owner of two wells near the Old Spanish Trail Land Reclamation Facility operated by Tank’s. The principal owner of Shetland is Fairfax Companies, LLC, which also owns Tank’s.
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The No Desert Data Center Coalition wrote that community members spotted water trucks coming from the Old Spanish Trail Land Reclamation Facility on Drexel Road and going to the site of Project Blue on Houghton Road, north of the Pima County Fairgrounds.
Two wells are located near the Old Spanish Trail Land Reclamation Facility shown here, operated by Tank’s Green Stuff, which was providing water to a Project Blue construction contractor for dust control.
Tank's Green Stuff owner Jason Tankersley initially accepted an interview request, but later declined. In an email, he said his company’s contract with Ames Construction was suspended, but declined the Star’s request to provide documentation.
He said all construction projects require water, and this is not a new service.
“Yes, we have supplied water to construction contractors for years from all of our properties. All the large companies you can think of, we have collaborated with,” he wrote.
The opposition group questioned the company’s involvement in what they view as an unsustainable data center project, and posted two phone numbers for Tank’s on social media, urging followers to leave a message that it stop supplying water.
Tankersley said his company is a sustainable business.
“There are more productive things Tucsonans could do in their own yards to replenish all the water Tucson will ever need, such as building retention basins in every yard in Tucson,” he wrote. “Instead of attacking others, they need look in the mirror and ask themselves 'what have I really done to try and make sure this town uses recycled material in all construction?' 'How many school and community gardens did I build and fund by myself.' 'How much did I do to divert thousands of tons of material from the waste stream, every year, and turn it into the best damn compost there is?’”
Tankersley did not directly name the No Desert Data Center but referred to a “violent online group” and “cult-like people” in an email to the Star.
“I understand people are afraid of change and angry and frenzied by this violent online group, but vandalizing our properties or trespassing and harassing my office staff and my family is unacceptable and illegal,” he wrote.
A representative for the No Desert Data Center referred to their previous statement when asked about the alleged threats. The statement says a group of less than 10 protesters delivered a letter of demands to the business on Monday, July 13.
“They delivered a comical letter with two simple demands for Tankersley: Stop selling water for data center construction and publicly apologize,” the statement reads.
This is not the first time Project Blue developers have struggled to secure a water source to comply with Pima County requirements. The county enforces dust control measures on construction projects to mitigate air pollution, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.
Ames Construction, a contractor for the project developers, was previously reprimanded by city of Tucson officials after it obtained a construction water permit for Tucson water and hauled it to the site, despite the City Council's unanimous vote to prohibit Project Blue contractors from using municipal water.
After city officials wrote a letter demanding the company return the water credits to the city, the county cited the construction firm a few days later for inadequate dust control.
Ames responded to the county in early May with a plan to use seven water trucks and a substance called Gorilla Snot to control dust going forward. However, it did not include where it would obtain the water to fill the trucks.
The coalition called the contract suspension a win, but still demands proof that water delivery has actually stopped.
Its social media accounts are also telling followers to report any further sightings of trucks or any signs the company might be getting water from somewhere else.
“You can look out for water tanker trucks and report Project Blue’s next collaborator. Report sightings in our dms,” a July 16 post reads.
