During the Boone County Economic Growth Corporation’s (BCEGC) initial due diligence process, water usage was identified as a topic for review. BCEGC analyzed three years of water usage at Lightedge’s Altoona facility, which has been in operation for decades.
Water usage at the facility comes from ordinary needs such as restrooms and break areas, as well as lawn irrigation. Lightedge provided BCEGC with three years of actual water bills from the City of Altoona.
The table below provides a summary of the facility’s water usage over the past 12 months.
For comparison, the average family of four uses approximately 9,000 to 12,000 gallons of water per month, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
1401 Northridge Circle NE
| Billing Period | Water Usage (in gallons) | Irrigation Usage (in gallons) |
| 7/15/25-8/15/25 | 10,000 | 145,000 |
| 8/15/25-9/15/25 | 11,000 | 142,000 |
| 9/15/25-10/15/25 | 9,000 | 111,000 |
| 10/15/25-11/15/25 | 5,000 | 83,000 |
| 11/15/25-12/15/25 | 8,000 | 0 |
| 12/15/26-1/15/26 | 9,000 | 42,000 (delay in meter read) |
| 1/15/26-2/15/26 | 12,000 | 0 |
| 2/15/26-3/15/26 | 12,000 | 0 |
| 3/15/26-4/15/26 | 12,000 | 0 |
| 4/15/26-5/15/26 | 10,000 | 0 |
| 5/15/26-6/15/26 | 11,000 | 49,000 |
| 6/15/26-7/15/26 | 14,000 | 0 |
Brenda Dryer, Executive Director, explained, “Only once during the past 12 months did the monthly water usage at the Altoona Lightedge facility exceed what the average family of four would use in a given month.”
Lightedge utilizes a closed-loop, water-cooled system in its facilities. This means the same water is continuously recirculated to cool equipment, eliminating the need for daily water usage for cooling.
BCEGC plans to hold an open house for Boone County residents to learn more about the project once a final site plan has been submitted to the City of Boone. Additional details about the open house will be announced at a later date.
Several sites across Central Iowa remain under consideration, and BCEGC expects to have more information about the status of a potential Boone site in the coming weeks.
About Lightedge
Lightedge is a US-based colocation provider that has operated secure facilities for more than 25 years, serving banks, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and many of the Midwest’s largest employers. Lightedge’s facilities are built to serve local institutions and businesses — not to power large-scale AI computing campuses — and the company has a long-standing practice of hiring US military veterans across its workforce.
For more information, contact:
Brenda Dryer
Executive Director
641.420.3556 / brenda@amesalliance.com