The new permits allow the tech giant to tap into three wells to supply water for the project’s restrooms, for construction crews and for fire protection.
Amazon could withdraw up to a total of 78.2 million gallons of groundwater over two and a half years from those wells, according to documents reviewed by the Chronicle. If that was distributed evenly over the permit period, that is equivalent to 31.2 million gallons annually, enough to support 285 average U.S.-sized households.
Amazon also received permits in May allowing it to withdraw another 16.9 million gallons of water from two other wells by February 2029, according to documents from the Coastal Bend Groundwater District.
Those permitted volumes represent a ceiling, not a forecast, said Weissman of Amazon.The company said it expects to use a fraction of that: About 5.8 million gallons annually for restrooms, sinks and office buildings, plus 1.3 million gallons annually for fire suppression, enough to support roughly 66…
