Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sent letters to 156 data center developments demanding accurate water-use information, including projects in Collin and Denton counties.

The Oct. 15 announcement comes as North Texas communities tighten oversight of an industry drawing scrutiny over water supplies, electricity demand and neighborhood impacts.

Paxton’s office listed recipients in 32 counties but did not identify individual developments or disclose their water use. The investigation includes facilities that have not responded to a Texas Water Development Board survey.

“I am actively investigating data centers across Texas to make sure that Texans and our natural resources are protected,” Paxton said.

Participation in the survey has been limited. Temple McKinnon of the TWDB told a Senate committee that about 30% of the 341 facilities surveyed had responded as of August, according to Texas Scorecard.

The attorney general’s announcement did not identify any of the local projects discussed below as letter recipients.

In Prosper, White Rose Partners withdrew its proposed $580 million Project Tomahawk before the Town Council’s Sept. 8 meeting, closing the application, CBS Texas reported. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended denial in a 7-0 vote Sept. 1.

The proposal called for a 225,000-square-foot data center on roughly 37 acres near FM 1385 and Parvin Road. Any revised proposal would require a new application, public notices and another commission hearing.

Denton is pursuing broader restrictions. The City Council voted 4-0 on Oct. 13 to require specific-use permits for data centers and adopt additional standards, according to Denton.city. Those rules include a 300-foot setback, water and wastewater studies, and requirements for closed-loop or free-air cooling.

Separately, Denton is considering a 90-day moratorium on new data center development. Its next public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 215 E. McKinney St.

The local actions follow Gov. Greg Abbott’s Sept. 21 directive ordering the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to halt permits sought by data center projects pending an Electric Reliability Council of Texas audit.

Paxton’s announcement did not disclose penalties or name companies facing enforcement action.