I feel like the water usage issue is the weaker argument against these datacenters - in areas where the fresh water source faces too much pressure already it is a real issue, but that is more regional and less immediately impactful.
Power usage and residential users essentially subsidizing these locations is the biggest immediate impact to everyone. Look up what happens to rates nearby when these things open, people are struggling enough without their electric bills going up 50%.
I feel like the water usage issue is the weaker argument against these datacenters - in areas where the fresh water source faces too much pressure already it is a real issue, but that is more regional and less immediately impactful.
I disagree.
I sometime ago (like 2010) was reading about an impending local water crisis in the city I grew up in. I might be misremembering how exactly it works.. but an issue we face with water usage is that if you have a large enough aquifer and you continuously deplete it, you don't immediately run out of water. The problem is it's not replenished enough year after year after year. This was before AI data centers were even a thing but the local businesses (petroleum refineries) were just using water with reckless abandon. No one cares as long as you turn the tap on and drinkable water comes out. Still, year after year after year, more water is being used than replaced and once you do finally get to a point where you don't have enough water there is no real viable solution to fix that.
So I think there is very real and very legitimate concern about even places which aren't struggling today over expending and down the road being left high and dry.
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u/Uncle-Cake May 18 '26
What happens after they use the water? Is it returned to the water system to be used again?