Coryell County women hear warning on data center fire, water risks

Kaitlan Ross told the Coryell County Republican Women’s Club that data centers could bring chemical storage, battery fire danger and heavy water demand to Coryell County neighborhoods as the county waits for clearer state rules on where and how those facilities can be built. Ross, an EHS and regulatory consultant with emergency response and ranching experience, centered her presentation on public transparency, stronger local codes and community protections before developers break ground.

Coryell County Commissioners Court tabled a proposal on April 28, 2026, to ban data centers countywide and instead asked state leaders to re-examine regulations and safeguards. That vote left the county without a local ban.

At the state Capitol, the Texas House Committee on Natural Resources heard hours of testimony on data-center water use on June 23, 2026. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a directive on June 10 telling the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to protect residential ratepayers from data-center infrastructure costs, and his order directed that data centers not drain water or shift electric infrastructure costs onto Texans.

Ross said the hazards behind the server racks include chemical handling, battery energy storage system fires and the question of who responds if something goes wrong. Coryell County already has a 2023 Hazard Mitigation Plan covering unincorporated Coryell County, Gatesville, Copperas Cove, Evant, Oglesby and both school districts, along with a Community Wildfire Protection Plan built around wildfire response, mitigation, preparedness and structure protection.

Ross told the women’s club to push for transparency and tougher standards early, when local governments still have leverage over what gets built and who pays when the power, water or fire systems are strained.