What’s in the water? What we know and don’t know about data center water discharge in Virginia
Data centers in Virginia, particularly Amazon's facilities in Louisa County, require substantial water for cooling, leading to discharge into municipal systems or natural waterways. Concerns are rising about the potential presence of "forever chemicals" (PFAS) in this discharge, as Virginia currently lacks testing requirements for data centers. Legislative efforts are underway to address PFAS testing in wastewater, though data centers are not yet included in self-reporting mandates.
Data centers in Virginia consume significant amounts of water for cooling, with facilities like Amazon's Lake Anna Tech Park in Louisa County discharging treated water into natural sources such as Northeast Creek and Sedges Creek. While Amazon states its systems, including an evaporative cooling method used 4% of the year, treat water before release to meet state environmental standards for metals and temperature, there is a critical lack of data on potential chemical contaminants.
Community members and environmental groups, including EarthJustice, are increasingly concerned about the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or "forever chemicals," in data center discharge water. They also worry about PFAS in cooling equipment itself, which can have serious health impacts. Currently, neither Virginia nor the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates PFAS testing for data center wastewater, leaving a significant "void" of information, according to Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz of EarthJustice.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) provided documents for the Sedges Creek permit application, listing chemicals like sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid used in treatment, but emphasizing their removal. Industry representatives, such as Nicole Riley of the Data Center Coalition, assert compliance with existing regulations, which do not include PFAS testing. However, the draft permit for Amazon's additional Lake Anna facility allows for future alterations to incorporate PFAS testing if regulators deem it necessary.
Virginia's General Assembly has advanced legislation, including Senate Bill 138, aimed at requiring public wastewater treatment facilities and industrial companies that use PFAS to test their discharge. However, data centers are notably excluded from these self-reporting requirements. Other bills signed into law mandate PFAS testing for biosolids from wastewater treatment facilities. Advocates continue to push for data centers to be included in comprehensive PFAS testing mandates.