A Bitcoin mining facility in El Reno, Oklahoma, leaked roughly 3 to 3.8 million gallons of water into the ground while the surrounding region baked under a severe drought. The city has condemned the site and plans to send its operator, Athlon Blockchain Technology LLC, the bill.
The leak, which surfaced around August 28, caused water pressure to plummet across El Reno. Schools and public buildings temporarily shut down because taps ran dry.
How millions of gallons vanished unnoticed
The culprit was a damaged private water line connected to an unauthorized fire hydrant that Athlon had installed on the property. Because the hydrant was unsanctioned, city crews had no reason to monitor it, and the leak went undetected until residents started noticing their faucets sputtering.
The facility itself houses containerized data centers used for Bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence storage.
