Imperial Valley AI data center developer, after pledging not to touch the Colorado River, sues local water district for 260 million gallons a year

Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing (IVCM), developer of a roughly $10 billion, ~330 MW AI data center campus in California's Imperial Valley, repeatedly promised the project would rely on recycled wastewater and would not draw from the Colorado River. After recycled-water deals with the cities of El Centro and Imperial collapsed, IVCM sued the Imperial Irrigation District in June 2026 for about 260 million gallons of river water per year (roughly what 7,300 county residents use annually), offering to leave 160 acres of leased farmland fallow in exchange.