How much water do data centers really use?
The short version: Here & Now digs into data center water use, and the real question isn't the gallons — it's who's checking the meter and who's paying for it.
Our Take
Credit to Here & Now for putting a number-shaped question in front of viewers: how much water does it actually take to keep a data center cool? It's a fair starting point, but the honest answer is that most communities don't know — because the companies building these facilities rarely have to say, and the utilities cutting the deals rarely make them.
Water is the quiet cousin of the power story. Everyone's watching megawatts and substations, but cooling towers pull millions of gallons a year in some cases, often from the same municipal systems residents rely on for drinking water, and often under contracts negotiated behind closed doors with vague or nonexistent public reporting requirements. When a drought hits or a rate hike shows up on a water bill, residents are usually the last to connect the dots.
We'd rather communities ask these questions before the concrete gets poured, not after. Check our facility map to see what's already operating or proposed near you, and if your town is negotiating a new project, use our take-action resources to push for real water disclosure before anyone signs on the dotted line.
This is GridWatch the USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Here & Now, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.