Water is usually the first question communities ask when a data center shows up. It is also one of the hardest to get a straight answer about.
On Sept. 23, Amy Adams of the Southeast Climate and Energy Network (SCEN) walked through how data centers use water and what communities need to know when they evaluate a proposed project.
What does it mean when a developer says a facility will use a “closed-loop” cooling system? Why do some cooling systems consume so much water? Where does the wastewater go, what might be in it and can local treatment systems handle it?
Amy broke down how cooling systems work and why water use can change depending on the technology and the weather. She covered consumption and evaporation, PFAS and other chemicals, wastewater and discharge, and the permits communities should watch for.
Most importantly, Amy shared the questions you can bring to developers, local officials and utilities before a project is approved. She also covered how to recognize when you are not getting the full story about a data center’s water use.
We’ve compiled the questions Amy covered during the webinar into a working document for communities facing data center development. This is meant to be a living resource, so please feel free to edit it, add questions or information, and help us improve it over time.
The questions go well beyond simply asking, “How much water will this data center use?” They cover where the water will come from, peak demand and drought conditions, cooling technology, wastewater and PFAS, electricity and its water footprint, infrastructure costs, cumulative impacts, permits and transparency, and who carries the financial risk if a project doesn’t develop as promised.
Links
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Amy’s slides: Heat, Electricity, and Water; Aka – Plumbing in Data Centers
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Southeast Climate and Energy Network: scen-us.org
About the speaker
Amy Adams is deputy director at the Southeast Climate and Energy Network, a regional network working to advance equitable climate and energy solutions across the South.
Before joining SCEN, Amy worked at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. She later joined Appalachian Voices, where she became a leading organizer and advocate for coal ash accountability following the Dan River disaster. Her recent work focuses on the water and policy implications of AI and data center development.
Get involved
Facing a proposed or existing data center? Halt the Harm Network can help you find information, experts and other communities dealing with similar issues.