BOLING — Amazon has launched a website dedicated to its proposed Wharton County data center development, providing new details about construction, employment, water use, electricity, noise and the company’s plans for long-term investment near Boling.
The website says construction activity and site preparation are already underway at a site outside Boling, roughly 10 miles southeast of Wharton. However, Amazon continues to describe the larger development as a planned or potential data center campus and says it is still considering its long-term building and operating plans.
Amazon calls the development a potential “state-of-the-art data center campus” that the company says would bring technology jobs, construction work, opportunities for local contractors and additional tax revenue to Wharton County.
The new website also gives residents a direct form for submitting construction-related questions or comments. Amazon says submissions will go directly to its construction team, although the company notes it may not be able to respond individually to every submission.
At least 300 full-time jobs
One of the most significant details released by Amazon is a commitment that the project will support at least 300 full-time positions.
Amazon says 150 full-time positions are expected by mid-2027, with wages the company describes as well above the Wharton County average. It also projects that construction will generate thousands of construction jobs and additional work for local contractors and small businesses.
Potential jobs listed by Amazon include:
- Plumbers and pipe fitters
- Electricians
- Project engineers
- Fiber splicers and fiber technicians
- Directional drill operators
- Line workers
- Engineering technicians
- Control technicians
- Data center technicians
- Operations technicians
Amazon says it also plans to work with local organizations on workforce-development programs intended to prepare residents for data center-related careers.
The company projects the development could ultimately support thousands of jobs when construction and related economic activity are included and generate tens of millions of dollars in new tax revenue. Those figures are Amazon’s projections and have not yet been realized.
Amazon addresses water concerns
Water has been one of the major issues surrounding large data center developments, and Amazon devoted a significant portion of its new Wharton County website to explaining how it expects the local campus to be cooled.
According to Amazon, the buildings currently planned will use air-cooled chillers that require no ongoing water for cooling.
Amazon says no groundwater will be used for data center cooling at the Wharton County site.
The company does plan for two on-site wells, but says they would be used only for potable needs, such as restrooms, and emergency fire protection. Amazon estimates those uses at approximately 13,000 gallons per day, which it says is roughly equivalent to the daily use of 44 households.
Amazon also says it does not plan to use water from the Boling Municipal Water District for cooling.
If water-based cooling is incorporated as the campus grows, Amazon says it would use non-potable surface water supplied through a regional water authority rather than groundwater.
The company says its cooling system would rely on outside air approximately 85% of the year, with water-based cooling potentially necessary during the hottest hours — less than 15% of the year based on the company’s local climate calculations.
Amazon lists a projected water-use efficiency of 0.081 liters per kilowatt-hour, which it says is about six times more efficient than the U.S. industry average it cites of 0.54 liters per kilowatt-hour.
Water conservation project with rice farmers
Amazon also highlighted a Wharton County water-conservation initiative involving local agriculture.
Through a partnership with Kilimo Inc., Amazon says it is funding a project to help area rice farmers use an irrigation technique known as Alternate Wetting and Drying.
The company says the method can reduce flood-based irrigation demand by 25% or more without reducing crop yields.
Amazon estimates the Wharton County effort will replenish more than 225 million gallons of water annually for 10 years within the lower Colorado River watershed.
Electricity and the Texas grid
Amazon also used the site to address concerns about whether a large data center campus could affect local electricity reliability or residential rates.
According to Amazon, its data centers connect to the high-voltage transmission system rather than the local distribution lines serving nearby homes and businesses.
The company says its power demand will not affect local voltage levels or increase the risk of brownouts in the surrounding community. That is Amazon’s position regarding the project’s expected impact on the electrical system.
Amazon also says it works with Texas energy providers to pay the full costs of the electricity and infrastructure needed for its operations, rather than passing those costs to other customers.
The company cites research on electricity prices to argue that new large customers can help spread fixed grid costs across more users.
Amazon says it has enabled 33 clean-energy projects in ERCOT, including 25 solar projects and eight wind projects, representing a combined 8.1 gigawatts of capacity.
Of those, Amazon says 18 projects totaling 3.7 gigawatts are operational and another 15 totaling 4.4 gigawatts are under development.
Noise, buffers and backup generators
The company also addressed potential noise from the data center campus.
Amazon says its designs can include landscaped berms, trees and other screening features intended to reduce noise and limit the visual impact of the facilities.
Other measures described by the company include:
- Sound-dampening building materials and insulation
- Strategic placement of cooling equipment
- Visual screening
- Acoustical enclosures and mufflers for generators
Amazon says acoustic engineers are involved during design and construction to help limit noise.
Backup generators, according to the company, would operate infrequently and primarily during brief daytime testing to ensure they remain ready for emergencies.
Amazon also says its generators will comply with applicable environmental regulations and use emissions-control technology intended to reduce nitrogen oxide, particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions.
Amazon says completed data centers generate less traffic
Amazon describes data centers as having different impacts than many traditional large industrial developments.
The company says that after construction, its data centers generate relatively little truck traffic and do not significantly increase demand for public safety services.
During construction, however, the Wharton County site is expected to see considerably more activity as the campus is developed in stages.
$200,000 Wharton County Community Fund
Amazon has also announced a $200,000 Wharton County Community Fund.
Applications opened Sept. 7 and will remain open through Oct. 19, 2026.
The program includes six funding categories:
- Education
- Climate and environment
- Arts and culture
- Health and wellbeing
- Equity, justice and belonging
- Economic development and livelihoods
Nonprofit organizations can apply for grants of up to $10,000, while individuals and community groups can seek grants of up to $5,000. Grants start at $500.
The program is being managed by the nonprofit organization ChangeX, which will also work with Amazon on an informational webinar for prospective applicants.
Construction underway, but long-term plans still being evaluated
Although Amazon prominently states that “Construction is Underway,” its wording stops short of saying every part of the eventual campus has received a final commitment.
The company says construction will take place in stages and that site preparation is already underway as Amazon continues to consider long-term building and operating plans.
Amazon says future decisions for the property will be evaluated in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
The distinction is significant as development of the large Wharton County site continues: physical work has begun, but Amazon’s own website indicates that decisions about the project’s ultimate long-term buildout are still being evaluated.
The website currently does not provide a final completion date for the entire campus.
Amazon says additional updates will be released as the project moves forward. The site’s “News & Updates” section currently tells visitors to check back later.
For more information about the project, including construction updates, jobs, water use and community resources, view Amazon’s Wharton County project website here: AWS Wharton County Project Website
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