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Brazos Watershed Alliance Update and Comments By President John Highsmith
The objective of the Brazos Watershed Alliance is to protect Hood County, Texas from massive industrialization. The present manifestation of this industrialization is in the form of hyperscale data centers, gas turbine power plants, BESS units, and industrial solar facilities.
Hood County was recognized in the 76th Texas Legislature in 1999 as an area to be protected and cherished. They passed Chapter 231, Subchapter K of the Texas Local Government Code that gave Hood County Commissioners Court authority to adopt local development, land use, and industrial standards for the Brazos River Watershed in Hood County. Even in 1999, the legislature recognized the danger of over development to Hood County. On July 14, 2026, Judge Brian Bufkin in the 355th District Court ruled in favor of Hood County’s unique right to enforce development regulations in Chapter 231, Subchapter K. However, several hyper- scale and solar array developers applied to the County to build their operations before the Bufkin ruling. The projects are as follows:
Pacifico Spunky LLC sixteen simple cycle gas turbines to be located across the Brazos River from Pecan Plantation.
Pacifico Spunky LLC Hyper scale data centers- (full details currently undisclosed) powered by Pacifico gas turbines.Pacifico Spunky LLC also includes a BESS facility (details undisclosed).
The Brazos Watershed Alliance is contesting a permit application by Pacifico Spunky LLC to draw water from four existing wells for their project. We have hired an attorney to argue against granting a permit to the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District.
We presently have three gas powered plants and a fourth under construction in Hood County. All of these plants are in Precinct 2. The list of potential hyper-scale data centers, BESS facilities, and industrial sized solar arrays are as follows:
Projects Red and Yellow- 677 acre multi-building hyperscale data center development in the same location as the MARA Bitcoin facility.
Rain Lily Solar- 810 acre solar array (147.8 Megawatts) with 106 Megawatt BESS directly across from Pecan Plantation. Associated BESS facility. Approved by Commissioner’s Court. Construction to begin in early 2027.
Lydian Energy Solar AKA Yellow Viking Solar One Project – Located in Hood and Somervell Counties spanning over 1,100 total acres. Located south of CR 325, which is close to Pacifico Spunky. Approved by Hood County Commissioner’s Court. Construction has begun.
Amazon Web Services- 1265 acre data center located off Holly Court and Hwy 144 that will use power from one Comanche Peak nuclear reactor (1.2 GW). Construction to begin in early 2027. Additional data center facility in Somervell County. Approved by 3-2 vote in Commissioner’s Court.
Big Digital Energy/Net Zero - 50 acre data center located at Old Cowtown Gas Processing Plant near Rain Lilly Solar facility (2/3 mile from Sandy Beach in Pecan Plantation). To be powered by a 300 MW gas plant.
The Brazos Watershed Alliance is concerned that even more massive industrialization is being planned for our area. Please help us in alerting your neighbors of what is coming. One of our biggest hurdles is apathy and complacency.
Please recognize the narratives about citizens opposed to data centers being pawns of China for what these narratives are: pathetic efforts to smear good people. The Brazos Watershed Alliance is made up of your neighbors just wanting to protect the wonders of Hood County. Please contribute to the Brazos Watershed Alliance to help us protect our community and irreplaceable water resources!.
For more Information on each industrial development and links to county concept plans or to donate please click the links below.
