Millionen-Segen oder Öko-Desaster? Der heimliche Wasserraub der Tech-Giganten: Wie KI eine ganze Wüstenregion austrocknet - Xpert.Digital

The rapid growth of data centers, particularly in Utah, is creating an economic boom for communities like Eagle Mountain, which has seen its population and tax revenue surge thanks to a massive Meta data center. This facility alone contributes millions in municipal energy tax and property taxes, far exceeding previous land values and funding essential city services. However, this economic prosperity comes at an alarming environmental cost, as Utah is the second driest state in the US. Data centers, especially hyperscale facilities and those supporting the AI boom, require vast amounts of water for cooling, consuming billions of gallons annually. This usage is contributing to the dramatic shrinking of the Great Salt Lake and critically low levels in the Colorado River. The state's low municipal water rates, a result of decades of subsidy policies where a portion of data center property taxes flow to water utilities, further incentivize water-intensive industries. Zach Frankel of the Utah Rivers Council criticizes this as a 'perverse' mechanism where the state finances its own water waste. Adding to the problem, Utah currently has no legal requirement for data centers to report their water consumption, leading to a lack of transparency. Republican Representative Jill Koford has introduced an initiative to mandate such reporting, but it faces political resistance from the tech lobby. Governor Spencer Cox has controversially stated that most data centers use no water, a claim experts dispute. While newer facilities and some operators like Novva are adopting waterless or closed-loop cooling systems, the majority still rely on water-intensive evaporative cooling. Experts warn of a 'buy-and-dry' pattern where tech companies acquire agricultural water rights, exacerbating water scarcity. This concentration of AI data centers in the already water-stressed Colorado River basin is viewed as a significant market failure, driven by distorted water prices, tax breaks, and insufficient regulations.