Communities raise concerns about the water usage of AI data centers during historic drought

Name: Communities raise concerns about the water usage of AI data centers during historic drought
Uploaded: 2026-04-22T17:34:29.000Z
Duration: 51 s
Description: Chatham County, North Carolina, has enacted a one-year moratorium on data center construction. This decision comes amidst a historic drought and growing concerns over the significant water usage of data centers for cooling, with some facilities estimated to use 2.5 million gallons daily.

News Clip0:51WXII 12 News·Chatham County, NC·4/22/2026

Chatham County, North Carolina, has enacted a one-year moratorium on data center construction. This decision comes amidst a historic drought and growing concerns over the significant water usage of data centers for cooling, with some facilities estimated to use 2.5 million gallons daily.

watermoratoriumenvironmentalgovernment

Gov: Chatham County

As North Carolina faces a historic drought, new concerns are emerging regarding the substantial water consumption of planned data centers across the state. These facilities require significant amounts of water for cooling servers, with estimates suggesting a single data center could use up to 2.5 million gallons daily.

In response to these environmental concerns, leaders in Chatham County have decided to pass a one-year moratorium on building new data centers. This decision is driven by worries about the region's climate future and the impact of industrial water usage, particularly during the ongoing drought.

The county is also in the process of developing a comprehensive climate plan, further underscoring the importance of addressing water conservation and the environmental byproducts of industrial development within the community.