Reach-out from an unnamed entity raises fears about possible data center in Mount Shasta region
This week, the Mount Shasta city manager revealed that the city had received an inquiry from an entity interested in building a data center at the former Crystal Geyser facility in Siskiyou County. The discussion comes amid ongoing concerns about water shortages across California.
On Monday, a discussion at the Mount Shasta City Council meeting revealed that the city had received an inquiry from an entity about building an AI data center close to the city.
Mount Shasta, a city about an hour north of Redding with a population of around 3,000, is known for its water.
City Manager Todd Juhasz, who brought the matter up in the meeting, said that staff had received only limited details so far but the inquiry was about using the former Crystal Geyser bottling site, located near the intersection of North Mt. Shasta Boulevard and Ski Village Drive.
Juhasz told Shasta Scout in an interview today that the inquiry was received by Kim Fowler, Mount Shasta’s Planning Director, last Friday. He declined to share information with the public about the name of the entity that had inquired.
The site sits in an unincorporated area of Siksiyou County just outside the city limits, meaning the former Crystal Geyser facility is located on land within Siskiyou County, not the city of Mount Shasta. Siskiyou’s County Administrator did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
During Monday’s council meeting, Juhasz immediately noted his concern about the potential for an AI data center in the region, saying “unless there’s some magical thing they do that other data centers don’t, I can’t imagine this will be good for the community.”
The site is not currently within city limits, meaning the county would currently hold jurisdiction over approving or denying the data center, if the plan were to actualize.
However, Juhasz said it’s possible that the site could be annexed into the city as part of a deal with Siskiyou County, something he said at least one county supervisor is willing to consider. Formalizing an annexation of the property, Juhasz explained, would mean more city control over the land in terms of both development and water supply.
The conversation comes amid broader concerns about data centers across the nation and the state — much of which relates to water use. The issue holds a heavier weight in regions north of Sacramento, which supply 75% of California’s water. Northern California is already facing water shortages and drought conditions, which raises increasing concerns about what a data center could mean for local water supply.
Mount Shasta, in particular, is renowned for its water, which comes to the city by way of glaciers on the mountain. Tourists, and some community members, often visit Mount Shasta City park to obtain drinking water from Headwater Springs, which feeds the Sacramento River.
In 2013, the Crystal Geyser Water Company purchased nearly 145,000 square feet of land near Mount Shasta for the building of a water bottling plant. The project spurred years of fierce opposition led by the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and other local activists, which resulted in the company pulling out of the project in 2021.
The Winnemem Wintu have already pushed back on the possibility of a data center being developed in the region. Yesterday, the Tribe reposted a recording of the council meeting on their Facebook page, along with commentary.
“Aside from the social issues around the unregulated use of AI technology, there are numerous physical issues with data centers already operating across the country,” the Tribe wrote, listing concerns about water usage, electrical power, toxic fumes, and noise pollution.
Along with the Winnemem Wintu, other community members are rallying online to protest the potential project. A change.org petition is already active, alongside numerous Facebook posts encouraging community members to voice their concerns at upcoming public meetings. The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors will hold its next meeting on July 7 and the Mount Shasta Council’s next meeting will occur on July 13.
In nearby Shasta County, community members have recently voiced fears about the possibility of a newly approved countywide AI resolution being connected to the development of a data center. That’s something Shasta’s Chief Information Officer Thomas Schreiber has denied.
But potential data center projects are raising their heads elsewhere in California. In Kern County, a company called R&L Capital, Inc. has proposed a data center in Inyokern, which many have protested, arguing it would “consume roughly 500,000 gallons of water per day.” In Imperial County, a plan for the largest data center in California has been laid out by Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing — it would span nearly one million square feet.
In an email today, Juhasz reiterated that he had no interest in a similar project being taken on in Mount Shasta.
“Given that the City is built on alluvial plains and streams that have spent years percolating through lava tubes, we have some of the cleanest water you can find in the country,” he wrote.
“Council doesn’t appear to have an appetite to discuss such a project and while I will meet with them to understand what they are proposing, my strong initial reaction is that the project is not in the City’s interest.”
Juhasz said the meeting between the entity and city staff will likely happen next week.
June 25, 2026 2:30 p.m.: We have updated the story to clarify that the facility sits on land located within Siskiyou.
Moe Shimizu is a student at Yale University. She’s reporting for Shasta Scout as a 2026 summer intern, with support from the Nonprofit Newsroom Internship Program — created by The Scripps Howard Fund and the Institute for Nonprofit News.
Do you have a correction to share? Email us: editor@shastascout.org.
Author
Comments (16)
Comments are closed.
Related Articles
Measure B remains suspended after latest court ruling
Elections are still slated to be held as usual this fall after proponents’ most recent attempt to ensure implementation of Measure B failed in court late last week.
Shasta elections official says Tina Peters won’t be working in Shasta
It’s not clear whether any formal job offer to the former Colorado elections official was ever made.
Todd Jones to leave Redding Chamber for role with Shasta College leading Workplace and Economic Development
Jones has led Redding’s business community as head of the Redding Chamber since 2024. The search for a new chamber director has already begun.
inquiries sent to a city manager regarding the development of an AI data center in or near a city are public records in California regardless of the format
If you do the research you will see that data centers already established in other areas of our country have ruined the city’s and neighborhoods around them, creating regret . No amount of money can be placed on the beauty and nature surrounding Mount Shasta. Do not sell out!! It will be the biggest regret that will also effect the decision makers
Water use is a big deal here (and may be why someone is poking around the area — we do have water). But here in Mount Shasta, one topic overlooked in the wildly chaotic local “discussion” of this topic so far, is this: From where will this proposed data center get its electricity? The local power grid is not nearly adequate for this purpose, so building the plant will require significant new transmission lines, and I couldn’t tell you how far those lines would have to reach to get the required power. I do hope the local officials will be very cautious with this, and trust the local sentiment that data centers do not belong here.
Water and electricity are the huge issues with both in California being in short supply. So the obvious solution for these companies is to find an area where these are NOT in short supply.
Sure, their costs may then be higher for various reasons but the long-term viability would be far far less problematic.
Not just ‘no’, but F–K NO!!! Put these behemoths out in space. Solves both the cooling and energy problem.
If I know the citizens of Mt. Shasta and Siskiyou County, they’ll resoundingly fight to keep this from going forth. Besides, the Lemurians would not let this happen, coming from one who’s born in Mt.Shasta.
In this story, it states “In nearby Shasta County, community members have recently voiced fears about the possibility of a newly approved countywide AI resolution being connected to the development of a data center”.
Some of us have also expressed the potential dangers of IA use to the security of our personal data.
Wishing to locate such a huge center near a volcano that is merely dormant now, shows me great ignorance. These “entities” promise jobs and highlight the taxes they would be paying. Don’t be fooled-yes, thousand jobs when building, with only about 100 when built out.
Destruction of the virgin forest and surrounding area will be gone forever! Typical 1 million square foot center is about 24 acres. Think of the construction damage to roads and surroundings as well.
Costs to the community are many: Noise pollution, Air pollution, Light pollution and higher costs for electricity and scarcity of water. For example, light pollution disrupts the ecosystem as birds, plants, and animals all regulate according to the light. This includes humans. A 1 million square foot plant can use about 500,000 gallons of water per day! Electricity is in use 24/7 including the 24/7 lighting.
Please contact your city council and board of supervisors to let them know your ideas.
From the article: “The site sits in an unincorporated area of Siksiyou (sic) County just outside the city limits, meaning the former Crystal Geyser facility is currently the property of Siskiyou County, not the city of Mount Shasta.”
.
The site is likely the property of neither government entity unless the property owner recently deeded it over to Siskiyou County. One Shasta LLC, an investment group, purchased the site in March 2022 for about $7.5 million. I strongly suspect it is still privately owned.
.
For the roles of planning and permitting, the project falls within the jurisdiction of Siskiyou County. Approval of the project would be a discretionary decision by the County.
Thank you. I started to make a similar comment but figure I complain enough
“Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.”
Sure, Data Centers are necessary for multiple reasons. AI is the driving force behind the growth of them, no one needs chatgtp to write an email or make yourself into a cartoon.
Hopefully Siskiyou County says No!!
Bet that Crystal Geyser plant and its 400 new jobs look pretty good now, eh?
*WHAT* 400 ‘new jobs’?? pray tell
The bottling plant was only going to be approximately 25 jobs in real life! Same as Coca-Cola/Dannon. And no it still doesn’t look good! Are you kidding? And AI would make more noise and take potentially more water. Both projects are clearly not what we want for our neighborhood & community.
Coca-Cola employed 200 directly, according to the RS. CG was to be larger.
Add in all the ancillary jobs by outside contractors (truck drivers, mechanics, dispatchers, landscaping, pest control, security, etc) and you’re looking at jobs for >10% of Mt. Shasta’s population.
This is the pattern emerging around the country by these parasites. They seek out small communities with limited means to resist them and try to overpower local government agencies, hoping to create a fait accompli before anyone realizes what is happening. Building these monstrosities anywhere water is scarce is absolute madness, before you even get to the pressure on electric rates and the noise.
Selah