Water Authority Releases Google Data Center Records Ahead of Scheduled Contempt Hearing

The Western Virginia Water Authority has released records showing that a Google data center complex in Botetourt County could use up to 8 million gallons of water daily, after initially agreeing to 2 million gallons. The case has implications for whether governments can withhold data center water usage records as proprietary information. The water authority and Google argued the judge's order to release the records would harm economic development, but the appeals court declined to pause the ruling. Google plans to build three hyperscale data centers in Botetourt County, which would become one of Google's thirstiest data centers globally. Local residents have raised concerns about the project's water and electricity use.