19119_Authority_April_2026

municipalauthorities.org │ 11 However, when LCA announced our concerns about the drought on social media platforms in our local news outlets, residents offered comments such as these (paraphrased to preserve anonymity): “Looking forward to those data centers!” “Next we’ll be hearing about how the water bill is going up.” “But we can have two data centers? ” In January and early February, after a significant snowfall and lingering abnormally frigid temperatures, LCA faced an escalating number of water main breaks. This is normal in cold weather when the freeze-thaw cycles put pressure on aging pipes. To help us manage the challenge, a renewed public request was issued asking customers to conserve water and check for leaks. Can you guess what the public response was? “Just say no to data centers!” “I’ll use as much as I want until you lower my water bill.” “No more AI centers!” From LCA’s perspective, the message was straightforward: Drought conditions and weather-driven leaks are reducing supply and conservation helps protect the system. But this is not the message our customers heard. Their comments reflect a deeper concern about how we are planning for our long-term water needs in our region and what the cost impact will be. This is valid feedback! How Do We Plan? First, it is important to note that LCA has received no water plans to review for any proposed data center in our service area. We have no specific unmet need for water supply at this time. Conversely, LCA worked diligently and collaboratively with local planners for many months leading up to the recent announcement by Eli Lilly that they plan to invest $3.5 billion in a new pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in our service area. Eli Lilly’s decision was not made in a vacuum, and LCA was one of many local partners in their evaluation of the suitability of the Lehigh County site. This is how we plan for these kinds of large developments: We collaborate deeply with other utilities and municipal planning agencies. We conduct hydraulic modeling to determine our system’s capacity to provide water and sewer services to the property. We evaluate LCA’s ability to serve their needs with existing infrastructure and existing water Continued on page 56.