Infrastructure Readiness - About & User Guide

Platform Overview

Infrastructure Readiness monitors water risk for critical infrastructure: every operable U.S. power plant (13,446, EIA), 16,398 municipal wastewater treatment plants (EPA) and hyperscale data centers from public records, with water systems, stream gauges and discharge permits around any facility. It combines U.S. Drought Monitor, USGS streamflow, NOAA outlooks and EIA cooling-water data into a 0–100 risk score. Full method and sources: Data Notes. Each facility report includes a compliance & disclosure worksheet (GRI 303, CDP, SASB, ESRS E3, EU data-centre WUE reporting, NPDES), and Regulatory Tracking follows AI, data center and water rules.

🗺️ Interactive Map

Data centers, power plants and wastewater plants as switchable layers, color-coded by risk once scored; filter by region and risk level, or search by name.

📊 Real-Time Risk Scores

Dynamic risk calculations based on USGS streamflow data and NOAA drought monitoring, updated automatically.

🌍 Regional Filtering

Filter facilities by 6 geographic regions (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, Northwest, Great Lakes) with state boundary highlighting.

📈 Statistics Dashboard

Track total facilities, critical risk count, average risk score, and coverage across regions in real-time.

Understanding Risk Levels

Infrastructure Readiness calculates a 0–100 risk score for the selected facility: 40% drought at the site, 30% streamflow at the nearest gauge, 20% cooling type and 10% cooling water intensity (gallons per MWh). Factors that do not apply are left out and the rest rescaled. Risk levels and recommended actions:

Risk Level	Score Range	Water Condition	What It Means	Action
Low	0-25	Normal water availability	Facility has abundant water resources, minimal disruption risk	Monitor
Medium	26-50	Moderate drought or stress	Facility may experience seasonal constraints; monitoring recommended	Prepare contingencies
High	51-75	Significant drought/stress	Facility faces water constraints; contingency planning advised	Activate water management plan
Critical	76-100	Severe drought/stress	Facility at high risk of water scarcity; immediate action recommended	Emergency response, reduce cooling load

Feature Guide

1. Interactive Map

The map displays all monitored facilities as color-coded markers representing their risk level.

Click and drag to pan around the map to explore different regions.

Use zoom buttons (+/-) at bottom-right or scroll wheel to zoom in/out.

Click 🏠 Home button to return to your saved default view.

Click 📍 Set Home to save your current map view as default.

Click a facility marker to view detailed information (name, owner, water usage, risk score).

Use the map selector dropdown (top center) to switch between basemap styles: Dark (Operations), Standard, Satellite, or Terrain.

2. Facility Search

Search for specific facilities by name, city, or state.

Click the search box at the top left: "Search facility, city, or state..."

Type a facility name (e.g., "Meta Mesa"), city (e.g., "Phoenix"), or state code (e.g., "AZ").

Results appear in the left panel, sorted by relevance.

Click any result to zoom the map to that facility and view details.

Example: Search "Colorado River" to find all facilities depending on that water source.

3. Risk Level Filtering

Filter facilities by risk category to focus on high-risk assets.

Click one of the risk level buttons below the search box: Low, Medium, High, Critical, or All.

The button highlights in teal to show selection.

Facilities list and map update instantly to show only facilities in that risk level.

Example: Click High to identify Arizona and Nevada facilities threatened by Colorado River drought.

4. Regional Filtering

Filter facilities by geographic region and see state boundaries highlight on the map.

Click the stat box labeled "Regions Selected: 6" to open the region picker.

A dropdown shows 6 regions: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, Northwest, Great Lakes, plus an ✓ All button.

Click Southwest to highlight Arizona, Nevada, California, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Oklahoma.

Notice: State borders in that region turn teal on the map; facilities list shows only Southwest facilities.

Click multiple regions to see combined results (e.g., Southwest + Northwest).

Click ✓ All to turn all regions on; click again to turn all off (shows all facilities).

A badge appears top-right showing selected regions, e.g., [Southwest] [Northwest].

5. Facilities List

Left panel shows all facilities matching your filters with key metrics.

Each facility card shows: Name, Location (city, state, type), Risk Level (colored badge), MGD (water usage), MW (power capacity), Risk Score, Drought Level.

Click any facility card to zoom the map to that location and open its popup.

Scroll down to explore all facilities; results are paginated automatically.

Example: Click "Meta Data Center - Mesa, Arizona" to see its water usage (250 MGD) and risk score.

6. Statistics Strip

Top status bar shows real-time summary of your current view.

Total Facilities: Count of all facilities in current filter/region selection.

Critical Risk: Number of facilities with risk scores 76-100 (usually 0 unless severe drought).

Avg Risk Score: Average of all risk scores in view (e.g., 47/100 = moderate risk region).

Regions Selected: Click to open region picker; shows how many of 6 regions are active.

Data Refreshed: Shows update frequency (Weekly auto, or real-time if premium).

Data Sources & Methodology

Risk score components

Drought (40%): U.S. Drought Monitor category at the facility's location — D0 = 5, D1 = 25, D2 = 50, D3 = 75, D4 = 100 points.

Streamflow (30%): nearest USGS gauge within 25 miles, today's flow against that date's history — above the 90th percentile 5, 75th–90th 15, 50th–75th 35, 25th–50th 65, below the 25th 100 points.

Cooling type (20%): EIA cooling system — once-through 90, recirculating towers 50, cooling ponds 50, air-cooled 5 points.

Capacity (10%): EIA cooling water withdrawal — 10,000+ gal/MWh 100, 5,000–10,000 50, under 5,000 10 points.

USGS streamflow

Readings every 15 minutes (provisional) from active gauges near the selected facility: flow in cubic feet per second, percent of the average for the calendar date, percentile band for the date, and the 24-hour trend.

Facility data

Power plants: EIA-860 (13,446 plants); cooling type and gallons per MWh for 759 thermoelectric plants from EIA's 2024 cooling water data.

Wastewater plants: EPA ECHO (16,398 with active, continued, pending or expired permits).

Data centers: 41 campuses verified from operators' reports and city records; water use only where disclosed, never estimated.

Every source and limit is listed on the Data Notes page.

Use Cases & Business Value

For Data Center Operators

Monitor your portfolio's water risk across all regions.

Search: "AWS" to view all AWS regions and their risk scores.

Filter: Southwest to focus on Arizona/Nevada exposure to Colorado River drought.

Alert: If avg risk score jumps from 40 to 65, water stress is increasing—time to activate contingency plans.

For Government Agencies (EPA, DHS)

Assess critical infrastructure resilience and regional vulnerability.

EPA Region 9 (AZ, CA, NV): Click Southwest to see all facilities under your jurisdiction.

DHS: Identify 14 high-risk facilities in Colorado River basin that could face disruption if D4 drought continues.

Planning: Use data for emergency preparedness budgets and resource allocation.

For Investors & Financiers

Evaluate ESG risk and climate resilience of data center projects.

Search: "Equinix LAX1" (Los Angeles) to verify water risk is Low (LA has aqueduct systems).

Avoid: Arizona facilities if drought intensifies (High risk score increasing).

Compare: New facility proposals—Pacific Northwest (Low risk, abundant Columbia River) vs. Southwest (High risk).

For Insurance & Risk Underwriters

Price coverage based on water availability to facility locations.

Asset: Data center in Nevada. Risk Score: 95/100 (D4 Exceptional drought). Premium: Higher.

Asset: Data center in Washington. Risk Score: 10/100 (D0, abundant water). Premium: Standard.

Trend: If Colorado River drought worsens (score 75→80), adjust Arizona/Nevada quotes upward.

Quick Start Tutorial

Complete a 5-minute walkthrough to master Infrastructure Readiness.

Scenario: "I'm concerned about Arizona's water risk"

Click Regions Selected: 6 dropdown at top.

Click Southwest. Notice: Arizona/Nevada borders highlight in teal; facilities list updates.

Check statistics: Avg Risk Score likely shows 50-60 (high for Southwest).

Scan the list: Find facilities with HIGH or MEDIUM badges (orange/red). These are your most vulnerable assets.

Click "Google Cloud - us-west4 (Arizona)" to zoom the map and see its exact location and 125/200 risk score.

Note: Its water source is "Salt River" (fed by Colorado River). Drought here = critical for this facility.

Click High risk filter to see ONLY high-risk facilities in Southwest. Now you have a prioritized list for action.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often is data updated?

A: USGS streamflow every 15 minutes (provisional); the U.S. Drought Monitor map weekly; NOAA drought outlooks monthly; EIA power-plant and cooling data annually.

Q: Why are Arizona facilities showing HIGH risk?

A: Arizona depends on the Colorado River, which is experiencing historic drought (Lake Mead at 27% of capacity, 2026). D3 (Extreme) drought classification + water stress = 75/100 risk score.

Q: Can I export this data?

A: Yes! Use the export button (top-right) to download as JSON or CSV. Perfect for reports, analysis, or integration with your systems.

Q: What if a facility has "Not Scored"?

A: A facility is scored when you select it, from current public data. If too few factors apply (for example, no drought map response and no gauge nearby), the panel says why instead of showing a number.

Q: Is this data confidential or public?

A: Infrastructure Readiness uses only publicly disclosed data from company websites, SEC filings, and government sources. No confidential information is included.