The records · the water essay
Every record behind "xAI, MLGW and the NDAs: the real story on Memphis's water"
The essay walks through xAI's water recycling plant at the T.E. Maxson sewage plant - where it came from, what xAI promised the council, what the State's permit does and doesn't require - plus the water claims people make about Colossus 1, the NDAs, and the one water question worth asking about the Megapack battery yards. Records that exist nowhere else online are hosted here. Private people's phone numbers have been blacked out. Everything else links to where it lives.
Hosted here
Right-of-way records for the water recycling plant, the Maxson pump station and the force mains, August 2026
City Engineering's record summaries, made August 19th and 20th, 2026, answering a records request filed in July. The plant site's right-of-way permit, ROW#80402, issued December 23rd, 2025. As of these sheets, no right-of-way permit had issued for the pump station at Maxson (ROW-25-000136) or the force mains that would carry the water (ROW-25-000164), and the force-main plans read "Currently being reviewed. Not approved at this time." The City posted these files to a different request on October 5th, 2026. Individuals' phone numbers are blacked out; names and work emails stay.
Maxson pump station (PDF, 3 pages)Force mains (PDF, 3 pages)Plant site (PDF, 3 pages)
CTC Property LLC and MLGW, Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement, signed late May and June 3rd, 2024
Signed for MLGW by its president, Doug McGowen, and for CTC Property, xAI's property company, by an authorized representative on June 3rd, 2024 - two days before the public announcement. Produced by MLGW on records request PRR-2026-1003 on September 21st, 2026, and hosted as MLGW produced it. Forbes first reported McGowen's signature in October 2024.
The notice that xAI's Mississippi company applied to pump 2.02 million gallons a day, and the well's 2001 permit
MDEQ's notice of intention says MZX Tech LLC filed renewal application MS-GW-15667 on November 19th, 2025, for 2.02 million gallons a day at 1,400 gallons a minute from the Meridian-Upper Wilcox aquifer at the Southaven plant. The well's 2001 permit, issued to the site's earlier owner, allowed 0.648 million gallons a day at 1,000 gallons a minute and expired April 10th, 2011. Both came from MDEQ's production of its MZX Tech file. The notice was a Word file; it is converted to PDF here with its text unchanged. Whether MDEQ issued the renewal is not shown in the records out so far.
Linked records
MLGW's public update on utility support for xAI
The plant "was originally discussed between MLGW, CoM, and TVA" to cut aquifer use at TVA's Allen plant, and xAI offered to build it at its own expense.
MLGW and CTC Property LLC, Agreement for Water Service, June 10th, 2024
Five days after the Chamber's June 5th announcement. The monthly cap works out to about 1.28 million gallons a day.
The agreement (PDF)The Chamber's announcement, June 5th, 2024MLGW board minutes (June 19th, 2024; March 5th and April 2nd, 2025)
The calendar entry for the Chamber's "FALLOUT" meeting and its invite list
Produced by EDGE on September 28th, 2026 from the Port Commission director's calendar.
EDGE's answer with the calendar entry (PDF)Commercial Appeal, June 5th, 2025
The water recycling plant's state permit, its monthly reports, and the State's answers to public comments
The final permit, the notice of determination ("will preserve up to 13 million gallons per day of aquifer water"), the zero-dollar financial security, and the monthly operating reports from February through August 2026, each reading "Construction ongoing" with "no processes active, thus no data." The State's water permit database, searched October 10th, 2026, lists one active water permit for the Colossus 1 campus: TNR155771, construction stormwater.
SOP-24025 on TDEC's DataViewerThe issued permit (PDF)TNR155771 on TDEC's DataViewer
The draft sale contract the council saw, and the May 14th, 2026 deed
The posted draft's reversion clause, and the deed with the City's one-year right to buy the land back. The signed May 2025 contract was asked for on July 21st, 2026; the City's date is October 21st.
The posted draft contract (City of Memphis PDF)The deed (PDF)
xAI's pitch on February 4th, 2025, and MLGW's president on April 28th and September 1st, 2026
February 4th, 2025: Mark Carroll, from 2:44:37April 28th, 2026: McGowen on the plantSeptember 1st, 2026: McGowen on xAI's water
The Mayor on Elon Musk and on NDAs
On NDAs (Ezekiel Telemaco TV)On Musk and Colossus 2 (Ezekiel Telemaco TV)
MLGW's latest figures and the U.S. Geological Survey's wells
About 794,000 gallons a day, 62 percent of the cap, per MLGW on September 28th, 2026; MLGW's average pumping from its 2025 water quality report; and USGS monitoring-well records for the Memphis aquifer, pulled October 10th, 2026.
ABC24, September 28th, 2026MLGW water quality reportUSGS Scientific Investigations Map 3415USGS Water Data for the Nation
The research behind the Megapack section
The September 5th essay on the MegapacksEPRI: California Flats, August 30th, 2025Tesla's Megapack emergency response guideNew York's battery fire data report (Chaumont)Lab burn, Environmental Science & Technology, 2023NIPV factsheet on firewater, June 2026International Fire Code, chapter 12
Think I got something wrong? Check the records, then tell me. That's the whole point.