The company behind an Iowa data center is facing violations in Georgia. This isn’t the first time...

A report by Politico has revealed that a data center project developed by QTS in Fayetteville, Georgia, was found to have used nearly 30 million gallons of water without initially paying for it. Residents in a nearby subdivision in Fayetteville, south of Atlanta, noticed unusually low water pressure, which led investigators to discover two water hookups feeding the data center. One connection was installed without the utility company's knowledge, and the other was not linked to QTS's account, preventing proper billing. QTS subsequently owed approximately $150,000 for the water usage, which they retroactively paid. However, the company faced no additional fines. The county attributed the oversight to a "procedural mix-up." The unnamed utility company defended its decision not to levy fines, stating, "They're our largest customer and we have to be partners. It's called customer service." This incident occurred while Georgia is experiencing severe to exceptional drought conditions, with residents being urged to scale back water usage. QTS stated it would use less water past the construction phase, which is expected to last another three to five years. The report also highlighted a similar past issue in Iowa, where state officials discovered 40 unpermitted wells at a QTS data center site in Cedar Rapids, which stretches into Fairfax.