Amazon data center linked to dry wells, raises water supply concerns in New Carlisle, Indiana
A massive Amazon Web Services data center in New Carlisle, Indiana, is facing intense local opposition due to concerns about water supply depletion and dry residential wells. Residents accuse the facility of impacting the Kankakee Aquifer, while officials initially attributed dry wells to drought. The project's substantial water and power demands, coupled with a perceived lack of transparency from Amazon and local officials, have fueled fears about the long-term environmental and community impact, leading to the blocking of a second data center's rezoning.
Patsy Bode, a resident of New Carlisle, Indiana, endured 18 months without running water after her shallow well went dry, coinciding with the construction of one of the country's largest Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers nearby. Despite her experience and similar issues reported by about a dozen neighbors, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) attributed the dry wells to drought, a conclusion challenged by hydrologist Alan Hamlet of the University of Notre Dame. Bode was forced to sell her home due to the inability to afford a deeper well, and neither AWS nor the government offered compensation.
The AWS data center, situated in the Indiana Enterprise Center (IEC) and encompassing 1,200 acres, represents an $11 billion investment, with an additional $15 billion expansion announced. It is designed to power AI tools like Anthropic's Claude. Local residents, including Yvette Van Lue, express deep concern that the enormous water and power demands of such facilities, combined with state and local officials' prioritization of economic development, will deplete the Kankakee Aquifer, which supplies regional drinking water. A Notre Dame investigation revealed that peak water stress on the aquifer could reach 35.5 million gallons per day, 80% of its safe yield, a level Hamlet deems risky during extended droughts.
The project's massive scale, with 18 of 32 planned buildings already constructed, will have a peak power rating of up to 2.25 gigawatts. AWS has stated plans to use 18 million gallons of water per building annually and claims to be funding water replenishment plants to make operations "water positive." However, local opponents are skeptical, citing a perceived lack of transparency from Amazon regarding actual water usage, which the company claims is proprietary. This secrecy, along with conflicting usage numbers and a 2024 permit filing for a sewer pipe capable of draining 1.6 million gallons per day for just two buildings, has intensified public distrust.
Efforts by residents have already seen success, with hundreds blocking the rezoning of over 1,000 additional acres of farmland in New Carlisle for a second, unidentified data center project last December. Concerns persist about traffic, loss of farmland, and strain on public resources. While local officials like St. Joseph County economic development director Bill Schalliol defend the project's economic benefits and tax revenues, and assure the aquifer's protection, experts like Hamlet warn of Indiana's "end run around safeguards" compared to other states.