Sue Data Centers

Data Center Registry

Wahawk Power Data Center

Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa

ProposedContestedRecord updated August 21, 2026

Wahawk Power Data Center is a proposed data center in Waterloo, Iowa (Black Hawk County), operated by Wahawk Power, LLC. The public record puts it at announced December 15, 2025, 12 acres. It is the subject of active public debate, with hearings, petitions, or organized opposition on record.

Every line on this page traces to a public source listed at the bottom. Where a figure was looked for and not found, the row says so. A blank is never a zero.

Facility record

Proposed

Operator
Wahawk Power, LLC
Facility type
Data center
Location
North of 570 West Shaulis Road, South Waterloo Business Park, Waterloo, Black Hawk County, IA
Coordinates
42.4430, -92.4007 (approximate)
Power capacity
Not established from a public source
Land
12 acres
Investment
Not established from a public source
Announced
December 15, 2025
Utility
MidAmerican Energy
Power source
Grid
Cooling
Not established from a public source
Water use
Not established from a public source
Jobs
Not established from a public source
Public subsidy
Not established from a public source
Community reception
Contested
Source confidence
Reported by at least one credible outlet or filing

Opposition and litigation at this site

Yes. Wahawk Power Data Center in Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa is contested. Hearings, public comment, petitions, or organized opposition are on record, and no lawsuit has been filed so far. Protests at city hall and a push for a data-center moratorium followed the December 2025 development agreement; opponents cite water, power, noise and economic-benefit concerns.

How the community has taken it

Reception is a sourced signal, not an editorial judgment: contested means active public debate is on record, with hearings, petitions, or organized opposition, without litigation.

Protests at city hall and a push for a data-center moratorium followed the December 2025 development agreement; opponents cite water, power, noise and economic-benefit concerns.

Source: KWWL

Notes on the record

80,000 sq ft edge/colocation data center proposed on a 12-acre city-owned parcel (with a right to purchase 10-12 more acres within 5 years) sold to the developer for $1; Waterloo City Council approved a development agreement Dec 15, 2025, but Planning Commission and Council site-plan approval were still pending as of June 2026, and the Council is weighing a 3-month moratorium (discussion set for September 2026) amid resident opposition.

What the record does not establish, and the document that would

In every fight on our tracker the decisive fact came out of a public records request. These are the requests for this site.

  • Power capacity in megawatts
  • Cooling method and water use
  • Tax abatements or other public subsidy
  • Permanent jobs promised
Which document closes each gap
Power capacity in megawatts
The utility's large load service agreement, the interconnection request in the grid operator's queue, or the electrical site plan in the permit file.
Cooling method and water use
The water service agreement, any groundwater appropriation permit, and the mechanical narrative in the site plan.
Tax abatements or other public subsidy
The abatement, PILOT, or development agreement approved by the county, city, or development authority, and the state's data center sales tax exemption certificate if one was issued.
Permanent jobs promised
The economic development application or incentive agreement, which usually states a job commitment and a clawback.

Have one of these documents? Send it to us and we will add it to the record with attribution.

Other sites within 30 miles

Distances are between recorded coordinates, many of which are a city or county centroid, so treat them as approximate. Cumulative load on one utility and one aquifer is the question a planning commission rarely asks.

Questions people ask about this site

Is there opposition to the Wahawk Power Data Center in Waterloo?

Yes. Wahawk Power Data Center in Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa is contested. Hearings, public comment, petitions, or organized opposition are on record, and no lawsuit has been filed so far. Protests at city hall and a push for a data-center moratorium followed the December 2025 development agreement; opponents cite water, power, noise and economic-benefit concerns.

Has anyone filed a lawsuit over the Wahawk Power Data Center?

No lawsuit over Wahawk Power Data Center appears in the record we track as of August 21, 2026. Residents most often reach a lawyer over water supply, well drawdown, noise from cooling plant, property value, or a rezoning approved without the notice the ordinance required. If any of that is happening near this site, it is worth a review whether or not a case has been filed yet.

How much water does Wahawk Power Data Center use?

No water withdrawal figure for Wahawk Power Data Center is on record here. Water use is rarely published voluntarily; it usually surfaces through a utility service agreement or a state withdrawal permit, both of which are public records. We leave the number blank rather than estimate one.

Who operates Wahawk Power Data Center, and how big is it?

Wahawk Power, LLC is the operator on record. No capacity figure is on record for this site. The site is recorded at 12 acres.

How to cite this page

SueDataCenters.org Data Center Registry, "Wahawk Power Data Center," updated August 21, 2026, https://suedatacenters.org/data-centers/wahawk-power-waterloo-ia.

Facility data from Compute Atlas (E. Kubiak), version 1.32.0 (September 7, 2026), licensed CC BY 4.0, record https://www.compute-atlas.com/facilities/wahawk-power-waterloo-ia, retrieved September 14, 2026.

Corrections with a public source are welcome at the Compute Atlas record or through our contact page. The whole registry is available as CSV and JSON under CC BY 4.0.

Sources for this record

As compiled and cited by Compute Atlas, with our own reporting appended. Archived links are used where the original has moved.

  1. 1.Wahawk Power Data Center, 80,000 SF, $6M Value in South Waterloo Business Park · Hottle Real Estate · retrieved August 21, 2026
  2. 2.Waterloo data center plan sparks protest at city hall · KWWL · retrieved August 21, 2026
  3. 3.City of Waterloo considering three-month data center moratorium · KCRG · retrieved August 21, 2026

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