After months of public protest, Harlingen city commissioners are reviewing a WaterWorks agreement to supply treated sewer and potable water to a proposed 1,785-acre data center campus. City officials are questioning contract terms including water rates and the agreement's 50-year duration.
The sources don't state an effect on taxes. They do state these figures.
Water supply contract valueabout $1.2 million a year2Who pays or receives it: RGV Property Group
Commercial water rate within city limits$1.83 per 1,000 gallons2Who pays or receives it: commercial customers within city limits
Commercial water rate outside city limits$2.75 per 1,000 gallons2Who pays or receives it: commercial customers outside city limits
Effluent water rate under data center contract75 cents per 1,000 gallons2Who pays or receives it: RGV Property Group
Who's involved
Harlingen city commissionersreviewing contract terms
WaterWorkswater utility providing water under contract
RGV Property Groupdata center operator receiving water under contract
Mark SossiCity Attorney
Norma SepulvedaMayor
Rene PerezCommissioner
The facts
WaterWorks would provide RGV Property Group up to 4.6 million gallons of treated sewer water daily.2
Contract would require WaterWorks to supplement potable water when effluent amounts fall short.2
WaterWorks board approved the contract in September 2025 based on interim General Manager Roy Rodriguez's recommendation.2
Contract offers RGV Property Group water at rate charged to customers within city limits, raising City Charter questions about rate-setting authority.2
Data center campus would span 1,785 acres outside Harlingen city limits.2
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Rene Perez, Commissioner Long-term contracts are problematic; WaterWorks should not be beholden to any entity for 50 years.2
Residents (per reporting) Contract could sell off drinking water to data center.2
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
Produced Water, Data Centers and the Contracts Texas Oil and Gas Companies Should Revisit Now
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
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