Data center water use projected to grow from 17 billion to 72 billion gallons by 2028
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago proposes redirecting treated wastewater from its Calumet plant to data centers in the area. This initiative aims to reduce data centers' reliance on municipal drinking water for cooling, lessening pressure on Lake Michigan. The transition would require new, costly infrastructure and an open public process.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) is exploring the possibility of redirecting treated wastewater from its Calumet plant to data centers and other industrial settings within Chicago and its 48 suburbs. John Murray, who leads the MWRD, stated that the treated water, currently discharged into the Little Calumet River after processing an average of 350 million gallons daily, could be utilized by data centers, thereby reducing their consumption of municipal drinking water.
This initiative comes amid increasing scrutiny over data centers' significant water usage, with a single facility potentially using up to 5 million gallons daily, largely due to evaporative cooling systems that do not return water to the system. Nationally, data center water use is projected to surge from 17.4 billion gallons in 2023 to 72.6 billion gallons by 2028.
Murray emphasized that switching to recycled water would alleviate pressure on Lake Michigan, a primary source of drinking water. However, implementing this plan would necessitate substantial investment in new infrastructure, such as pipelines and pumps, to transport the treated water to industrial sites. Murray assured that any such project would undergo a transparent public process, addressing community concerns and incorporating mitigation measures.