Oct 05, 2026 20:00:00

Google's blacked-out reports on data center water usage and maximum power capacity have been exposed through copy-pasting.

Google has submitted an annual report to

the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment (DWEE) regarding its data center in Lincoln, Nebraska, which is scheduled to begin operations in 2026. Google claimed that the amount of electricity and water the data center uses could be kept a trade secret under certain state laws, and therefore blacked out the relevant figures to mark them as 'confidential.' However, it has been discovered that the contents can be read simply by copying and pasting the blacked-out sections into another document.

UPDATE: Improper redaction reveals Lincoln's Google Data Center water and electricity usage
https://www.1011now.com/2026/09/30/more-questions-than-answers-about-lincolns-google-data-center-water-electricity-usage/

Google built a data center in Pavilion, Nebraska in 2019, followed by Omaha in 2022 and Lincoln in 2026. To address the water consumption of its data centers, Google is working with various agencies in Nebraska to support farmers in water conservation and improve the health of critical aquifers.

How Google is supporting water resilience in Nebraska - YouTube


In Nebraska, data centers are required to submit annual reports that self-declare their impact on water, electricity, and local infrastructure.

However, Google, citing Nebraska Code Sections 81-1527 and 84-712.05, which generally do not require trade secrets to be made public, and Nebraska Administrative Regulations Title 115, Chapter 2, which sets out the conditions and procedures for companies to apply for trade secrets, requested that electricity and water usage data at all three of its data centers in Nebraska be treated as trade secrets. Google submitted a report to DWEE with the relevant figures blacked out.

However, it was discovered that this redaction could be removed by copying and pasting the content into another document, allowing the hidden figures to be seen.

The Lincoln data center information released revealed that its peak power demand was 52.65 MW (megawatts), and that it used 13,299,000 gallons (approximately 50.3 million liters) of water annually for cooling towers, evaporation systems, and facility operations. Approximately 13 million gallons is equivalent to about 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The total water usage for 2025 by the six data centers that reported as of September 30, 2026, was 765 million gallons (approximately 3.477 billion liters), which is equivalent to about 11,599.93 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Below is a photo of the data center in The Dulles, Oregon, published in Google's photo gallery , showing water vapor rising from the data center's cooling towers, which is described as 'a quiet mist at dusk.'

Furthermore, leaks from the redacted sections revealed how much tax refunds Google's data centers are expected to receive in 2025. The Lincoln data center is expected to receive a tax refund of $55,822,472 (approximately 8.8 billion yen) in 2025, the Papillon data center $39,171,573.39 (approximately 6.2 billion yen), and the Omaha data center $22,558,881 (approximately 3.5 billion yen). According to the report, the data centers are 'taking advantage of or planning to take advantage of' exemptions from sales tax and use tax under Nebraska's preferential laws, but have not received and do not plan to receive any legally mandated rebates or incentives.

On September 30, 2026, the Nebraska news site 10/11 News filed a Freedom of Information Request with DWEE to verify the redacted information. Attention is now focused on how the state will release the information.