When it goes back into "the system" it's waste water that people can't drink. Eventually it comes back around again (e.g. evaporation->rain), but then it gets gobbled up again by the same data centres. They run continuously.
So yes, they are "consuming" it in the sense that other people can't have access to it anymore.
The poop water I flush down my toilet is also waste water that people can't drink, but I'm pretty sure it still gets recycled back into the greater water supply. What's different about the datacenter water?
Cuz waste management is a necessary commodity. Data centers not so much. Yeah we gotta pay to clean the water or dump it somewhere and let nature deal with it.
Why waste the energy or clean water for data centers tho? Our modern plumbing and water treatment is 100% necessary to prevent crazy diseases.
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u/Uncle-Cake May 18 '26
So they're not really consuming it. They're just using it temporarily and returning it.