Report: California Data Centers' Water Use Undisclosed Amid Expansion
A new report highlights that data centers in California are expanding into water-stressed regions, yet their actual water consumption remains largely undisclosed due to policy loopholes. State lawmakers are again proposing legislation to mandate public disclosure of water use after a previous bill was vetoed. This lack of transparency hinders a full assessment of environmental impacts on vulnerable communities.
A new report from the think tank Next10 and researchers at Santa Clara University reveals that data centers in California are increasingly locating in water-stressed areas, including the Central and Imperial Valleys. A key finding is that data center operators are not required to publicly disclose their water usage due to a patchwork of state, federal, and local policies, making it difficult for communities and researchers to understand their true environmental impact.
Irina Raicu, director of the Internet Ethics program at Santa Clara University, emphasized the critical lack of data on water consumption amidst the significant build-out of artificial intelligence infrastructure in a state with vulnerable water supplies. The study found that environmental impact reports for many data centers are not publicly available or are often vague, allowing projects to proceed with minimal environmental scrutiny, sometimes through