AIBRIEF
A private water line on Athlon BT's site failed during one of Oklahoma's worst droughts since 2022, sending pressure to near zero and closing schools and city offices.
In drought-hit El Reno, outside Oklahoma City, the Athlon BT data center, built for AI storage and bitcoin mining, lost more than 3 million gallons when a privately owned fire hydrant on a private water line failed. The leak sent community water pressure to near zero and forced schools and government offices to close while crews stabilized the system.
Canadian County property records tie the site to Athlon BT, a developer of mobile and containerized data centers marketed for AI storage and bitcoin mining that rely on air- and water-cooling. The leak ran during one of Oklahoma's worst droughts since 2022, magnifying the loss in a community already under water stress.
City records show El Reno had tried to halt the site in June 2023 with a stop-work order over fire and life-safety code violations and permit issues, on a project first permitted in 2021. City officials now say the facility may have continued construction and possibly operated without a certificate of occupancy, a question still under investigation.
The city has since condemned the property. Interim City Manager Ken Brown said residents will not bear the cost and the legal team is preparing to recoup all leak-related expenses from the owner. Athlon BT did not respond to a Newsweek request for comment.