Call for tighter data center regulations after DEQ report
A new study from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) indicates a likely decline in groundwater supply east of I-95 due to industrial use and population growth. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is urging Virginia lawmakers to implement tighter regulations and water conservation practices for large withdrawals, especially from the growing data center industry, to prevent issues like saltwater intrusion.
A study released by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) finds that the groundwater supply east of I-95 in Virginia could decline in the near future. The 144-page study, which came out of the 2024 General Assembly session and was pushed for by Republican State Senator Richard Stewart and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), takes a comprehensive look at the Virginia Coastal Plain Aquifer System.
The biggest finding indicates future declines are likely in the aquifer due to industrial use and population growth. Jay Ford, CBS Virginia Policy Manager, notes that currently, new large water withdrawals are difficult, and fears that unchecked growth in Virginia's data center industry could worsen the groundwater supply, potentially leading to accelerating saltwater intrusion. The CBF is calling on lawmakers to implement limits and water conservation practices for large withdrawals. Ford suggested that if the report had been released earlier, the recent General Assembly debate on data center regulation might have had a different outcome.
In response, the Data Center Coalition issued a statement asserting that the data center industry uses significantly less water than other industries and continues to invest in water management and efficiency practices, including air-cooled, closed-loop, water-free, and dry cooling technologies.