- Micron’s expansion could more than double its daily water consumption levels
- Environmental disclosures reveal large volumes of daily downloads to the system
- Residents and farms depend 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 factory already consumes 4.7 million gallons of water each day, the first new factory would increase daily use to 10.2 million gallons, enough to fill approximately 15.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools each day.
A second, slightly smaller facility is also planned, which would add even more water demand to that figure.
Where Micron currently sources its water from and why it matters
The company currently draws water from three different sources to keep its Boise operations running 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 draws it from the Boise River, and also purchases treated water from Veolia, a private municipal water company.
A 2024 environmental impact statement for the first expansion revealed that the new factory would use 5.5 million gallons daily and discharge about 2.9 million gallons back into the system.
When asked how much water the new factories will use and where that water will come from, Micron declined to give specific answers, and a company spokesperson offered 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 did not explain how that goal applies to the new Boise factories or where the additional water will be sourced.
Veolia also did not respond to questions about how much water it supplies to Micron from its treatment plants.
Why water availability is a sensitive issue in the Idaho desert
Boise is located in the high desert of southwestern Idaho, where water is a limited and controversial resource.
In the 1990s, Micron received significant public criticism when its manufacturing operations caused a sharp drop in local groundwater levels.
The state established a groundwater management area around the company in 1994 to monitor and oversee water rights.
Even today, the Idaho Department of Water Resources can only see a partial picture of Micron’s total water use through its permitted rights.
The company has not submitted an environmental impact study for the second factory, leaving regulators and the public completely unaware of its total future water demand.
Idaho residents rely on the same aquifers that Micron pumps from, and any significant drop in water levels would impact homes, farms and businesses throughout the region.
Micron’s silence on where it will find billions of liters of new water is not just a lack of transparency; It is a bet on a resource that the desert cannot easily replace.
The company’s plans are driven by demand for AI, but AI doesn’t run on water; people and crops do, and they have no backup plan if the wells run dry.
Via BoiseDev
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