Do data centers really use so much water? Here are 5 key issues

The St. Louis region is experiencing a surge in data center projects, raising significant public concern, particularly regarding water consumption. Residents fear that these facilities, which require substantial cooling for their constantly running servers, will deplete local water supplies and impact water bills. Experts such as Shaolei Ren from the University of California, Riverside, and Eric Masanet from the University of California, Santa Barbara, point out that while data centers employ various cooling methods, even efficient ones can use millions of gallons of water daily, straining local municipal systems, especially in rural areas reliant on well water. A notable example is a Google data center in Oregon that consumed a substantial portion of a city's water in 2021. Furthermore, much of the water used for cooling is lost to evaporation, and the remaining water often contains chemicals requiring treatment. Companies like Amazon, with a nearly 1,000-acre data center proposed in Montgomery County, Missouri, assert their projects will not negatively impact drinking water and will use water sparingly. However, this particular Amazon project is currently facing a lawsuit from citizens. Provident Data Centers, developing a site in Gray Summit, has pledged to limit water consumption and cover utility upgrade costs. Yet, residents still worry about increased costs potentially being passed on to them, as seen in Columbus, Ohio. The lack of transparency, often due to non-disclosure agreements with local officials, further exacerbates public distrust, although Microsoft recently announced an end to its use of NDAs, advocating for greater transparency.