St. Louis built its water system for a million people. Fewer than 300,000 are left to pay for it.

St. Louis, Missouri, is grappling with a decaying water infrastructure that requires an estimated $700 million in capital investment over the coming decades. Niraj Patel, the city's Water Commissioner, highlighted this financial strain at a recent press conference, noting that the city's population has dwindled from 800,000 to fewer than 300,000, leaving a smaller rate base to fund the extensive pipe repairs. The city's water system, municipally owned since 1835, includes two treatment plants – the Howard Bend Water Treatment Plant and the older Chain of Rocks plant. These facilities were designed in anticipation of a city of a million people, with a total capacity of 360 million gallons per day, far exceeding the current consumption of 125 million gallons daily. This excess capacity presents an opportunity for St. Louis. Patel proposes attracting data centers, which require enormous quantities of water for cooling, as a solution. He asserts that the city's infrastructure can easily handle the demands of hyperscale data centers, which might draw 1-2 million gallons a day, barely impacting the system's overall capacity. This move could significantly increase the city's rate base and generate much-needed revenue for infrastructure upkeep. While the city has yet to establish a new rate structure for such large-scale industrial users, Patel believes the economic benefits are clear. The initiative represents an ironic full circle, as the digital economy, which contributed to the decline of industrial cities like St. Louis, may now be the key to revitalizing its essential services.