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The Ecological Collapse in Arizona and the Fight here at home against this happening with Hawaii General Plan 2045

Aloha kākou Ohana.

This is an urgent siren call from KahuPuna Aloha Activism.

My heart is so heavy as I sit here on my porch at Pohoiki and look across the ocean towards the continent, more specifically though, towards Arizona. Arizona is where a catastrophic ecological collapse has just unfolded this past month (June 2026). Authorities officially declared a 100% fish die-off at San Carlos Lake, forcing an indefinite closure of the 19,500-acre reservoir due to toxic safety hazards and severe environmental degradation. Millions of fish suffocated all at once as water levels cratered.


To the casual observer, mainstream narratives will blame this entirely on a dry summer. But if we dig deep into the data mapped out by our community researchers, a terrifying, systemic culprit emerges: the explosive footprint of industrial data centers. ---


The Heartfelt Warning that Aloha Activism wants to share: The Hidden Thirst of Tech Giants


Arizona has quietly become a global capital for massive tech hubs. Sprawling, concrete data center campuses—operated by multi-billion-dollar conglomerates like Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon (AWS) —surround the very watersheds that are collapsing.


Just look here at the physical distance between these insatiable industrial facilities and the literal dead ecosystem:

  • Safford Data Center Campus (Switch):~71 miles from the lake.

  • Eloy Data Center Campus (Google):~96 miles from the lake.

  • Maricopa Data Center Campus (Microsoft): ~90 miles away.

  • Phoenix Data Center Campus (Meta):~116 miles away.

  • Show Low Data Center Campus (Vantage/EdgeCore):~92 miles away.


image shows San Carlos Lake and the Data centers that are in close proximity, drying up what is already almost gone while poisoning what little water is left.
image shows San Carlos Lake and the Data centers that are in close proximity, drying up what is already almost gone while poisoning what little water is left.

Furthermore, these areas like the Salt River Wildlife Area experienced a parallel 100% wildlife die-off due to extreme water depletion and radical chemistry shifts—sitting just 25 to 65 miles away from massive data center hubs like CyrusOne, QTS, Iron Mountain, and PhoenixNAP.


When we do our due diligence, same with the geothermal debate, we understand that data centers are not all they are painted out to be, and that they are actually aggressive, relentless consumers of infrastructure. They draw millions of gallons of water every single day just to keep their hyper-heating servers cool, draining local aquifers and competing directly with the wildlife, rivers, and streams that feed natural reservoirs.


"It is basic common sense: when the power grid and water table are pushed to their breaking points for corporate computing, nature pays the ultimate price. We have seen this same story play out in Hawaii with geothermal energy. False narratives have long hidden the irreversible damage caused during the 2018 eruption, when the quenching of geothermal wells diverted Kilauea's flow and led to catastrophic loss." - Jasmine Steiner KahuPuna

The Threat to Our ʻĀina: Bill 66 and General Plan 2045:


This is not just Arizona’s tragedy. This is a look into the future of Hawaiʻi if we do not stand up and stop the forces attempting to pave over our home. Right now, our county leadership has just pushed through Bill 66 (General Plan 2045). Under the guise of "sustainability" and "smart planning," this 20-year blueprint is a corporate trojan horse designed to change the fabric of Hawaiʻi Island and the entire state.


Let’s look at what is actually being mapped out behind closed doors:


  • The High-Density Trap: Bill 66 sets the stage to compile residents into restrictive, hyper-regulated "smart tiny cities," stripping away rural independence and traditional land-use freedoms under the banner of reducing carbon footprints.


  • The Data Center Invasion: The plan lays the infrastructure groundwork for an influx of massive data centers all over the Hawaiian Islands. There are already plans to slam about 10 data centers on Oʻahu ALONE—an island less than half the size of Hawaiʻi Island! Meanwhile, 2 are already planned for Hawaiʻi Island, threatening our rural sanctuaries.


  • Industrial Geothermal Exploitation: To power these energy-vampire data centers, there is a very coordinated and narrated push to expand industrial geothermal drilling, painting it as some form of "gift from Pele" (LOL). At KahuPuna, our stance on geothermal has always been unyielding: drilling into the volcanic veins of Tutu Pele for industrial corporate gain is a violation of cultural reverence, a threat to local health, and a direct hazard to our pristine water tables. It goes against everything that is being aloha, and is opposite of anything "Pono". It is absolutely not clean nor renewable. It kills.


If we allow our islands to be converted into a tech-cooling hub powered by corporate energy exploitation then we are actually, to a T, inviting the exact same ecological devastation we are seeing in Arizona and in other states on the continent having these same effects surrounding new data centers. Our streams will run dry, our wells will be compromised, and our wai (water)—which IS sacred life—will be stolen from the ʻāina to cool tech servers.


A Call to Action: Stand Firm, Fight Back, Do our Research:

The complete ecosystem collapse at San Carlos Lake is a severe warning of what happens when corporate infrastructure is prioritized over the breath of the land. We, the people, must FIGHT HARD against the implementation of Bill 66 in Hawaii. Mayor Alameda (barf) stated on his social media that he "doesn't have the votes to veto general plan" and that iss a complete and utter lie. He absolutely has the power, and it shows how gullible he believes Kanaka are. We cannot let them take our sacred Homesateading lands away. We cannot let them trade our actual natural resources for BS corporate tech infrastructure.


What you must do right now:


 1. Do Your Own Research: Do not take corporate or government brochures at face value. We know if it is coming from them it is false information that only is being used to benefit the occupation, NOT kingdom sovereignty. Look closely at the zoning changes, "technology parks," and energy initiatives being proposed in your direct area. If data centers or industrial energy plants are trying to move into your community, sound the alarm.


 2. Raise Your Voice: Use the visuals we’ve provided to show your neighbors what data center saturation does to natural water systems.


 3. Stand with KahuPuna Aloha Activism and the Geothermal Movement in Hawaii: Join the A'OLE PGV group on FB. That group is the community that has been frontlining any geothermal lawsuits and community action for the past 15 years now. Stay locked in there in the Facebook group and also here on this website (exit articles to main website) for any upcoming community meetings on Geothermal, data centers, Hawaii general plan etc and the grassroots strategies, and the direct actions as we fight the rollouts of General Plan 2045.


E mālama i ka ʻāina, a e mālama ka ʻāina iā ʻoe. We must protect the land that feeds us before the concrete is poured.


Stand firm, LAHUI. EYE LAVA YOU. #IMUA

Jazzy

KahuPuna

Aloha Activism

LERZ Puna News Weekly (on FB)




 
 
 

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