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

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

News ClipSTLtoday.com·St. Louis, St. Louis City County, MO·4/6/2026

Residents in the St. Louis region are increasingly concerned about the significant water consumption by data centers. This article addresses these worries by outlining key issues related to data center water usage.

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The article from STLtoday.com focuses on the growing apprehension among St. Louis region residents regarding the substantial water demands of new data center projects. Driven by the expansion of industrial-scale computing for artificial intelligence, these developments have prompted local communities to question the impact on their essential water supplies. The report, with contributions from Bryce Gray and Jenna Jones, aims to demystify data center operations by detailing five critical issues surrounding water use in the St. Louis area. While an image depicts an Amazon Web Services (AWS) AI data center in New Carlisle, Indiana, this serves as an illustrative example, and the core discussion remains centered on the specific concerns within the St. Louis metropolitan area.