El Paso Water Confirms Meta Contract Finalized in 2023

Utility provides written statement after social media exchange with local coalition

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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El Paso Water has formally clarified that its service agreement with Meta (formerly Facebook) was fully executed on December 5, 2023, despite earlier confusion over the contract's status. The utility's statement comes after a social media exchange with a local community coalition, Sembrando Esperanza, which had publicly questioned whether the agreement had been signed.

Why it matters

The Meta data center project has been a major economic development initiative for the El Paso region, but has also raised concerns among some residents about water consumption, infrastructure strain, and potential impacts on utility rates. The clarification of the service agreement's finalization is an important milestone, even as the broader debate continues over the project's oversight and management of water usage.

The details

Following the social media exchange, the community coalition ARC El Paso reached out to El Paso Water seeking clarification. In a written statement on February 19, the utility confirmed that the contract was fully executed on December 5, 2023, after being approved by the Public Service Board the previous day. However, the utility noted that Meta has not yet finalized details on how it will fulfill its water restoration offset commitment, which is a separate corporate program from the service agreement.

  • The service agreement with Meta was fully executed on December 5, 2023.
  • In January 2026, El Paso Water officials verbally communicated that Meta had not yet finalized details of its water restoration offset commitment.

The players

El Paso Water

The public utility that provides water services to the El Paso, Texas region and has a finalized service agreement to supply water to the Meta data center.

Sembrando Esperanza

A resident-led coalition focused on utility rates, water use, and large-scale development in the El Paso area that publicly questioned whether the Meta contract had been signed.

ARC El Paso

A community organization that reached out to El Paso Water seeking clarification on the status of the Meta service agreement.

Verónica Carbajal

A former 2020 El Paso mayoral candidate and representative of the Sembrando Esperanza coalition.

Meta

The technology company (formerly Facebook) that is building a major data center project in the El Paso region and has a service agreement with El Paso Water.

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What they’re saying

“At that time, the person that we spoke with said the contract had not been signed. So we were surprised by that and thought this is an opportunity for us to then organize so that it doesn't get signed.”

— Verónica Carbajal, Coalition representative (ARC El Paso)

“That's very different than what we were talking about. We were talking about the promise from us, our public company, to offer them water.”

— Verónica Carbajal, Coalition representative (ARC El Paso)

What’s next

The coalition plans to continue attending Public Service Board meetings and monitoring any potential amendments to the contract. Upcoming city and county discussions about data center policy frameworks are also seen as opportunities for residents to push for stricter oversight of future projects.

The takeaway

While the service agreement between El Paso Water and Meta has been finalized, the broader debate over the data center project's water usage, infrastructure impacts, and community oversight remains ongoing. The clarification of the contract's status is an important milestone, but residents continue to seek ways to engage and influence the project's development.