Georgia residents seethe over 30M gallons of missing water

Residents of Fayetteville, Georgia, and Fayette County have expressed significant outrage following the revelation that a data center owned by Quality Technology Services (QTS) had consumed nearly 30 million gallons of water without being billed for several months. The issue came to light last year when residents of the Annelise Park subdivision experienced unusually low water pressure, prompting an investigation by the Fayette County water system. The utility's investigation uncovered two industrial-scale water connections supplying the QTS data center campus, one of which was unknown to the utility, and the other not linked to the company's account. This led to an estimated 29 million gallons of unaccounted-for water, for which QTS was retroactively billed nearly $150,000. The incident became public when attorney and property rights advocate James Clifton obtained the 2025 billing letter through a public records request and shared it on social media, further fueling local pushback against data center development. In response to the growing concerns, particularly amid a state drought declared by Governor Brian Kemp, the Fayetteville City Council voted last month to ban new data centers within all city zoning districts. QTS, a major data center developer, disputes accusations of excessive water usage, stating its campus utilizes a "closed-loop" cooling system that does not consume water for cooling. A QTS spokesperson attributed the high consumption to temporary construction activities and asserted that once fully operational, water use will be limited to domestic needs. Vanessa Tigert, director of the Fayette County water system, attributed the billing error to a procedural mix-up during a system conversion and understaffing. Despite the unapproved consumption, the utility chose not to fine QTS, explaining that they view the company as their largest customer and a necessary partner. This decision has further angered residents like Clifton, who criticized the perceived preferential treatment given to the developer.