Water impacts are focus of new California data centers study
A new study out of Santa Clara University raises concerns about the strain data centers, particularly those for AI, place on water supplies in California, especially in water-scarce regions like Kern County. Residents in Inyokern have already voiced opposition regarding the water use of a proposed data center. The report advocates for greater transparency and stronger safeguards to address environmental justice issues related to data center development.
A recent report from Santa Clara University, supported by the nonpartisan think tank Next 10, has raised significant concerns regarding the water consumption of data centers in California. Released amidst proposals for at least two new data centers in Kern County, the study, titled "The Intersection of Data Center Development, Water Availability, and Environmental Justice in California," found that these facilities increasingly threaten regions already vulnerable due to economic need and water scarcity, such as the Central Valley.
F. Noel Perry, founder of Next 10, emphasized that development is shifting from cities to towns with strained water resources, risking existing inequities without stronger safeguards. The report's findings are corroborated by local concerns, with Inyokern residents raising objections at a Ridgecrest City Council meeting about a proposed 238,000-square-foot data center along Highway 395. Opponents expressed water worries despite the developer's unspecified claims of a "highly efficient hybrid cooling system."
Separately, oil producer California Resources Corp. has announced plans for a data center on its property in Elk Hills, indicating a trend of data center interest in Kern County. Lead author Iris Stewart-Frey, a hydrologist and environmental science professor at Santa Clara University, noted that data centers, particularly hyperscale facilities supporting generative AI, consume and pollute substantial water throughout their supply chain. The study criticized the lack of transparency from companies regarding their water usage, asserting that efficiency claims are meaningless without accountability.
Katy Larson, Director of the California Energy Research Center at Cal State Bakersfield, commented on the need for environmental reviews to comprehensively assess power, water management, and community benefits, suggesting potential cross-sector collaboration to recycle produced water from oil and gas operations for data center use.