What we know and don’t know about data center water discharge in Virginia
Virginia is grappling with concerns about water discharge from data centers, particularly regarding the potential for "forever chemicals" (PFAS) contamination. While Amazon operates facilities in Louisa County with permits to discharge pretreated water into local creeks, current state and federal regulations do not mandate PFAS testing for data center wastewater. Legislation to address PFAS in general wastewater is advancing in Virginia, but data centers are not yet explicitly included in these requirements.
Northern Virginia is the world's largest data center market, with facilities like Amazon Web Services' data center in Stone Ridge. Data centers use significant amounts of water for cooling, and systems not "closed loop" discharge water, often into municipal wastewater. However, at least one data center, Amazon's Northeast Tech Campus in Louisa County, Virginia, is permitted to discharge directly into Northeast Creek, which feeds into Lake Anna. Another Amazon facility, part of the Lake Anna Tech Park project, is seeking a similar permit for Sedges Creek.
A major concern surrounds the chemical makeup of data center discharge water, specifically the potential presence of "forever chemicals" (PFAS). Despite pretreatment and monitoring for certain metals and temperature, there is limited data tracking for PFAS in discharge water, raising questions about human and environmental health risks. Residents worry about PFAS in cooling equipment that is regularly replaced. Virginia and the federal EPA currently lack requirements for PFAS testing in data center discharge.
Amazon states that their Louisa County sites primarily use natural air-cooling, with water-based evaporative cooling used only about 4% of the year during hottest periods. They clarify this "non-contact cooling water" never touches IT equipment and is treated to dechlorinate and balance pH before release, complying with state environmental standards. The Virginia DEQ regulates discharge from facilities like Amazon's Northeast Tech Campus, which can release up to 460,000 gallons daily into Northeast Creek, with required monthly testing for various substances and temperature.
While the draft permit for Amazon's Sedges Creek discharge allows for future alterations to include PFAS testing if regulators deem it necessary, current state legislation, such as Senate Bill 138, advances PFAS testing for public wastewater facilities and industrial companies but does not yet include data centers. Environmental advocates like Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz of EarthJustice emphasize the "dangerous lack of information" regarding potential toxic chemicals, including PFAS, in data center wastewater. The future of mandatory PFAS testing for data centers in Virginia remains uncertain.