A day after Adelanto Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Ramos and Councilmember Amanda Uptergrove visited the ScaleMatrix Data Center in San Diego, the city of Adelanto posted a notice for a public hearing regarding land use zoning updates.
The proposed amendment would update the Adelanto Municipal Code to identify additional land uses that may be fit for energy and utility facilities, data centers, battery energy storage, and microchip, semiconductor and drone manufacturing.
The amendment will only ratify the language used in zoning codes. It will not approve development, grant entitlements, change development standards or authorize construction. Residents are invited to make their voices heard at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 12000 Stadium Way, Adelanto.
“Don’t believe all the misconceptions and misinformation about new and improved data centers,” Ramos captioned a photo of him and Uptergrove on his Instagram story in front of ScaleMatrix’s data processing machines. “It might be true for the old models and technology, but these are not the same. Get out, tour some and educate yourself.”
Supporters say the move could bring investment and jobs to Adelanto.
The proposal has also prompted concerns from some residents, particularly online, who question how large-scale data centers could affect local water supplies in a region that already faces ongoing water management challenges.
Water concerns
Conserving the High Desert’s water takes precedence over modernity for many who live and raise families in the area.
The same voices concerned about the environmental impacts of data centers and energy facilities strongly opposed the Mojave Desert pipeline for similar reasons, citing water insecurity and landscape destruction.
Struggling to access clean water is not new in Adelanto.
Residents previously rallied at the Dec. 10, 2025, council meeting to implement a water ad hoc committee addressing the town’s contaminated water. The synthetic chemical Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) was detected in Adelanto water in 2023 and is known to pose serious health risks to those exposed to it, including testicular and kidney cancer and ulcerative colitis, according to health experts.
Adelanto resident Daniel Davis wonders where the town will get the water from to power a data center, which, historically, can consume anywhere from 200,000 to 5 million gallons of water per day depending on the size of the center.
Water is used for cooling the hardware to prevent overheating. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, a medium-sized data center can consume up to roughly 110 million gallons of water per year for cooling purposes, equivalent to the annual water usage of approximately 1,000 households.
“Very much AGAINST data centers,” resident Gina Reynoso commented online. “They have a huge environmental impact. Let’s think about our children’s future and the health impacts.”
McKenna Mobley is a reporter for the Daily Press. She can be reached at mmobley@usatodayco.com or on Instagram @mckenna_dailypress.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Adelanto moves toward data center zoning update following San Diego tour
Reporting by McKenna Mobley, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By McKenna Mobley, Victorville Daily Press | USA TODAY Network
