Virginia study on groundwater, data centers calls for tighter water regulations
A recently released Virginia study on groundwater supply in the state's eastern region warns of likely declines in a critical aquifer due to population growth and industrial use, including data centers. The report recommends stricter regulations, greater permitting authority for regulators, and a requirement for industrial users to explore alternative water sources. Lawmakers are now evaluating the findings to potentially strengthen groundwater management policies.
Virginia, recognized as the world's largest data center hub, has finally made public a long-awaited study scrutinizing the groundwater supply in its eastern region and the potential impact of the resource-intensive data center industry. The report, compiled by environmental scientists, indicates a probable decline in a crucial aquifer, attributing this to a combination of population expansion and industrial water usage. It advocates for tighter regulatory control, suggesting that authorities should be empowered to reject industrial water withdrawal permits, compel companies to seek alternative water sources, and more rigorously enforce rules against excessive water consumption.
The study, which the state had withheld for over six months until its release by Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger's office following an Associated Press open records request, acknowledges the scarcity of publicly available data on specific data center water use. Despite this, it stresses that the groundwater supply in Virginia's populous eastern coastal plain is "constrained," with projected declines imminent. State Senator Richard Stuart, who initiated the bill requiring this study, voiced concerns about the strain on groundwater compelling local governments in his Northern Neck district to transition to surface water sources, concurrent with a significant increase in new data center developments.
While most existing and planned data centers are located in areas serviced by public water supplies that primarily draw from surface water, the report highlights the absence of comprehensive public data on groundwater withdrawals by these facilities. It concludes that, under present conditions, it would be "unlikely that a data center with evaporative cooling technology (or any comparable water user) would find a reliable, sufficient groundwater supply anywhere" in the region. Governor Spanberger's spokesperson, Jack Bledsoe, emphasized the report's significance as the most extensive groundwater analysis in Virginia's history, reiterating the administration's commitment to collaborating with the General Assembly to evaluate its findings and enhance the Commonwealth's groundwater management policies.