Gas- and coal-fired power plants consumed more water than data centers across Texas in 2024, per a new Sierra Club analysis of federal data.

Why it matters: Data center water use is in the spotlight in drought-stricken Texas. Environmental advocates say transitioning to renewable energy sources wouldn't just reduce carbon emissions, it would save the state billions of gallons of water.

What they did: The Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy organization, analyzed a decade's worth of data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) to compile its report, released last week.

By the numbers: It found that in 2024, gas plants consumed 56 billion gallons of water, coal plants consumed 34 billion gallons and nuclear plants consumed 26 billion gallons across Texas.

• The amount of water used by coal plants in Texas is enough for 1 million homes per year, the Sierra Club says.
• Comparatively, data centers used 8 billion gallons of water in 2024 in direct operations, the report found.

Reality check: Data center water use is rising, and the energy generation that powers data centers could indirectly consume a lot more water.

• A UT Austin report out last week found that Texas data centers used 25 billion gallons of water in 2025 in both direct operations and indirect energy generation.
• That's about 0.4% of the state's total water use, per the report. But the researchers estimated data centers could make up 3–9% of Texas' total water use by 2040.

Caveat: Renewable energy sources like wind and solar use a "negligible" amount of water, Noah Ver Beek, lead analyst for the Sierra Club report, told reporters. The EIA does not track it.

The other side: "Water use is an important issue for all industries in Texas, and discussions around it should include context and balanced comparisons," Krissy Lilljedahl, administrative director for the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association, tells Axios in a statement.

Many of the country's newest fast-growing neighborhoods are in North Texas, per a RentCafe analysis.

Why it matters: Dallas-Fort Worth has seen its population boom in the past five years, with most of the growth happening in suburban areas that were farmland and grassy acreage just a decade ago.

Driving the news: Fort Worth's 76177 ZIP code is the seventh fastest growing new neighborhood in the U.S., per a report from RentCafe, a nationwide apartment-search site.

• Housing inventory in the northern Tarrant County area that includes Alliance grew from 2,774 housing units in 2014 to more than 10,000 in 2023. The number of residents quadrupled during that time.

How it works: RentCafe analyzed the population growth and housing inventory in 32,000 ZIP codes nationwide, giving a close-up look at the rapid expansion outside the city center.

• The report found 17 of the top 50 newest neighborhoods are in Texas.
• The analysis also identified a list of "up-and-coming communities" based on population growth, new housing units and an increase in incomes and educated residents over a decade.

Zoom in: Most of the rapid housing and population growth identified in North Texas has been to the north, except for one ZIP code in Grand Prairie.

The intrigue: Prosper and Celina were listed as the second and third top up-and-coming communities in the U.S. About 90% of residents in both ZIP codes are highly educated.

More ranked neighborhoods

📚Let your imagination run wild. Take a walk in the park while listening to your audiobook of choice at the Silent Book Club Plano's May meeting.

• 9-10:30am Saturday at Windhaven Meadows Park in Plano. Free but reservations required.

👢 Throw a fit. Browse outfits from vintage to Y2K and make your own fragrance at this Streetwear Market.

• 2-8pm Saturday at AT&T Discovery District. Free admission and parking.

⚽ Deepen your loyalty. Dallas Trinity FC play their final regular season game this weekend, hoping to secure a playoff spot. Fans will get an Amber Wisner bobblehead in honor of the captain's retirement.

• 7:30pm Saturday at the Cotton Bowl. GA tickets start at $26.

🍋‍🟩 Say cheers. Sample drinks and vote on your favorite at the Fort Worth Margarita Festival, which will also have a DJ, food vendors and beer garden.

• Noon-6pm Saturday at Cullen Yards in Fort Worth. Admission with drink samples starts at $43.

🏳️‍⚧️ The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Texas issued a subpoena for information on children who received gender-affirming care at a New York City hospital in the past six years. (The 19th)

🪧 A Frisco pastor called Islam an "ideology from hell" while telling his congregation to vote for a fellow conservative Christian in the city's mayoral runoff. (DMN)

🇳🇱 The Netherlands' double-decker orange bus has arrived in Texas ahead of the Dutch team's World Cup matches. (FOX4)

Will it be a mild summer or another summer that feels like the surface of the sun? It's time for you to guess.

Why it matters: There's nothing more Texan than guessing what the weather's gonna do.

State of play: Meteorological summer starts June 1, but we really start thinking about it as soon as we make Memorial Day plans.

• To get ready, we're launching this year's 100-degree day contest. After rollercoaster weather this spring and a mild summer last year, it's anybody's game.

How it works: Let us know how many triple-digit days you think Dallas-Fort Worth will have this year.

• Hit reply to this email and send us your guesses.

The stakes: Recognition in a fall issue of the newsletter and some very cool Axios swag.