19119_Authority_April_2026

municipalauthorities.org │ 3 Reprint permission: Some articles may be available, in whole or in part, for reprint; however written permission must be obtained by contacting Jennifer Case at case@municipalauthorities.org . Statement of ownership: The Authority is published bi-monthly by the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association, 1000 North Front Street, Suite 401, Wormleysburg, PA 17043. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Authority at this address. Advertising & Sales questions: Mandi E. Glantz, CAE at glantz@municipalauthorities.org. Comments/Questions: Jennifer Case at case@municipalauthorities.org. Copyright© 2026 by the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent is prohibited. Statement of facts and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors. Publication of articles and advertisements does not reflect any direct or implied endorsement of the author’s views. The Association reserves the right to edit and/or provide graphic content to support articles or information printed or provided in this publication. Douglas E. Bilheimer Publisher Jennifer L. Case Editor Mandi E. Glantz, CAE Advertising Kimberly A. Miller Layout & Design April 2026 Volume 58, No. 2 Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association 1000 North Front Street, Suite 401 Wormleysburg, PA 17043 Phone: 717-737-7655 Fax: 717-737-8431 info@municipalauthorities.org municipalauthorities.org facebook.com/pamunicipalauthorities linkedin.com/company/ pamunicipalauthorities/ E ditor ’ s N ote T he D ata C enter T hirst : P reparing P ennsylvania ’ s W ater and S ewer A uthorities With the explosion of AI and technology, development of hyperscale data centers is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Pennsylvania has emerged as one of the nation's most active states for development. Nearly 20 legislative proposals spanning many topics including water usage and ratepayer protections have been introduced this session, and the governor has leveraged over $100 billion in public and private investment for data center and AI development statewide. Two important key points from the Susquehanna River Basin Commission’s article, Data Centers: Let’s Talk About Water Demands , in the August 2025 issue of The Authority are: 1. “A single data center facility can use more than five million gallons of water per day, potentially putting a large demand on a community’s water supply.” 2. “...you need water to produce power. So water takes a hit twice. Water is traditionally used to cool the server systems for data centers, but it is also needed for cooling at the power plant that provides electricity to the center.” Water as well as sewer authorities are at the forefront of this rising industry and must plan and prepare . Data centers have unique needs compared to other large volume users, and whether or not a data center developer has approached your authority or municipality yet, being informed now is critical to making sound decisions for your authority and community. This issue of The Authority covers some of the key components and considerations specific to providing service to a data center including management, operations, finance, regulatory compliance, communications and community needs, and long-term resilience and sustainability. As noted on page 18, with the industry in its infancy, much remains to be learned.