Data Centers, Water Usage & Virginia
A report indicates that data centers are not the biggest users of water in Virginia. Instead, two paper mills are identified as consuming tens of millions of gallons daily from the aquifer. This highlights other significant water usage issues in the state that often go unnoticed.
A recent report reveals that data centers are not the primary consumers of water in Virginia, a finding that surprised the report's authors. The discussion highlights that other industries use significantly more water, particularly from shared aquifers.
Specifically, two paper mills were identified as major water users. The Franklin International Paper Mill draws 15.3 million gallons of water daily from the aquifer, while the Smurfit WestRock paper mill at West Point uses 13.6 million gallons of groundwater per day. These figures are contrasted with the average American's domestic water usage of about 82 gallons a day, according to the EPA's website.
The immense water consumption by these industrial plants is equivalent to supplying hundreds of thousands of people or a large city like Richmond, underscoring that public perception of water use in Virginia may not align with the actual distribution of consumption.