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A copy-and-paste flaw in redacted Nebraska data center reports exposed figures for Google-owned sites, KOLN reported Sept. 30. Agate LLC reported 13.299 million gallons of water use and peak electrical demand of 52.65 megawatts; Fireball Group LLC reported 547.88 million gallons of annual water consumption. State officials have not publicly verified the figures in the material provided, and KOLN filed a records request for the redacted information.
KOLN reported that Agate LLC’s filing to the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE) marked water and electricity figures as trade secrets, citing state statutes and regulations. The broadcaster said it recovered the underlying text by highlighting the redacted box with a computer cursor, copying it, and pasting it into another document. The figures are reported contents of the company’s filing; the source material does not include an independent state confirmation of the recovered text.
Agate reported 52.65 megawatts during peak electrical demand and 13.299 megagallons of water used across cooling towers, evaporative systems and site operations over the last year. One megagallon equals one million gallons. KOLN described the water figure as about 13 million gallons, roughly enough to fill 20 Olympic-size swimming pools. It also said the amount was less than half of the water use reported by the City of Lincoln on Sept. 29; the article does not provide the city’s exact figure or explain the comparison period.
Across six data centers with reports available as of Sept. 30, KOLN calculated reported annual water use of 765 million gallons. The broadcaster said Papillion facility Fireball Group LLC reported the highest figure: 547.88 megagallons for 2025. The story also said the filings exposed anticipated 2025 tax refunds: $55,822,472 for Agate, $39,171,573.39 for Fireball and $22,558,881 for Westwood Solutions LLC, the Google-owned Omaha site. The reports said the facilities used or expected to use sales and use tax exemptions under the Nebraska Advantage Act, while reporting no rebates received to date through that program and no incentive payments received or expected under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act.
Water and Power Under Scrutiny
The recovered figures offer a rare view of resource use at facilities whose operators had designated key data as trade secrets. They matter as Nebraska weighs data center growth against the capacity of local water systems and electricity networks. A site’s peak demand indicates the maximum reported electrical draw, while its annual water total reflects reported use over a longer period; the figures describe different measures and timeframes.
The figures may help residents and officials assess the scale of the reported operations, but the available report does not establish how the consumption compares with other large local users on a like-for-like basis. KOLN’s swimming-pool comparison helps convey volume, while the reported total for six centers signals that the issue extends beyond Lincoln. The information about expected tax refunds also brings public incentives into the discussion, though the filings distinguish tax exemptions from rebates and incentive payments.
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Nebraska’s New Reporting Order
Nebraska data centers are required to submit annual reports to DWEE. According to KOLN, Gov. Jim Pillen’s July 20 executive order directed facilities to self-report their effects on state resources, with attention to water, power grids and local infrastructure. A DWEE Data Center Task Force is overseeing implementation, and reports were due Sept. 30.
The filing names include Agate LLC in Lincoln, Fireball Group LLC in Papillion and Westwood Solutions LLC in Omaha. KOLN reported that all three Google data centers claimed their electricity and water figures were trade secret information. Agate’s documents also listed a gross floor area of 288,530 square feet, which the broadcaster compared with about five football fields. The state’s reports can be searched through its database by entering “DCR” in the DEQ Program field, according to the article.
““utilize or expect to utilize””
— Google data center reports, as quoted by KOLN
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Records Request Could Clarify Figures
The source material does not say whether DWEE has confirmed the text recovered from the redacted reports or whether the agencies and companies agree that the redactions were faulty. KOLN said it filed a public records request with DWEE on Sept. 30 seeking the information redacted from Agate LLC’s report. The request’s outcome is not included in the report.
It is also unclear from the material how the reported water and electricity totals were calculated, whether they cover identical reporting periods across facilities, and what share of each site’s demand is supplied by local systems. The six-center total reflects reports available as of Sept. 30, not necessarily every data center in Nebraska. The story provides expected refund amounts but does not document whether those refunds were later approved or paid.
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State Review and Public Records
The next documented step is the response to KOLN’s public records request and the state’s handling of the submitted reports. DWEE’s Data Center Task Force is charged with overseeing the reporting requirements under the governor’s order. Whether the department will correct the redactions, publish additional details or issue findings about resource impacts is not stated in the source material.
Readers can consult the state’s data center reports through the database search described by KOLN, using “DCR” in the DEQ Program field. Further reporting or agency disclosures may clarify the figures, the reporting methods and the status of the anticipated tax refunds.
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Key Questions
What water use did Google’s Lincoln data center report?
KOLN reported that Agate LLC listed 13.299 megagallons, or about 13.299 million gallons, across cooling towers, evaporative systems and site operations over the last year.
How was the redacted information recovered?
KOLN said the text could be highlighted, copied from the redacted box and pasted into a separate document. The source does not say whether DWEE has independently confirmed the recovered text.
Which reported site used the most water?
Among six reports available by Sept. 30, KOLN identified Papillion’s Fireball Group LLC as the highest, with 547.88 megagallons of 2025 annual water consumption.
What did Nebraska’s order require data centers to report?
According to KOLN, Gov. Jim Pillen’s July 20 executive order required data centers to self-report their impacts on state resources, including water, power grids and local infrastructure. Reports were due Sept. 30.
Have the reported tax refunds been paid?
The figures in the report are expected refunds from 2025 taxes. The source material does not establish whether the amounts were approved or paid.
Source: hn
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