Data center guzzled 30 million gallons of water, and nobody noticed for months
The county retroactively billed QTS $147,474 after finding two unmetered hookups that sent more than 29 million gallons to the campus.
- Residents in Fayette County, Georgia, discovered that Quality Technology Services consumed nearly 30 million gallons of water without initially paying for it, sparking outrage after the incident became public last week.
- Fayette County water system director Vanessa Tigert blamed the oversight on a procedural mix-up during the county's transition to cloud-based metering; QTS disputes this, claiming construction activities drove consumption and paid the $147,474 retroactive charge.
- The unaccounted-for usage totals 44 Olympic-size swimming pools, angering residents told to conserve water. Attorney and property rights advocate James Clifton noted the irony of locals facing restrictions while the facility drained supplies.
- In response to growing tensions, Fayetteville's City Council voted last month to ban new data centers in every zoning district within the city, addressing concerns about water consumption and infrastructure strain.
- Georgia hosts more than 200 data center facilities, prompting advocacy groups to urge Congress to reject fast-track permitting legislation as data centers consume up to 5 million gallons daily, straining drinking supplies and ecosystems.
34 Articles
34 Articles
America's data centers are thirsty. Rural towns are paying the price—from tanked water pressure to stolen desert groundwater
Residents in different states were curious why their water was being diverted to data centers instead of their homes in water-fraught communities.
Data center drained 30 million gallons of water without reporting or paying for it, investigation reveals
Georgia residents recently learned that a massive data center used nearly 30 million gallons of water without proper billing, deepening concerns about how large computing facilities — and especially those powering operations like artificial intelligence — can strain local resources. What happened? Residents of the Annelise Park subdivision in Fayetteville, Georgia, began complaining last year about unusually low water pressure, according to Poli…
Local Residents Outraged After Nearly 30 Million Gallons Of Water Guzzled By Data Center * 100PercentFedUp.com * by Danielle
Residents of a small Georgia town are enraged after discovering an enormous new data center had used approximately 30 million gallons of water without initially paying for it. Community members first noticed when their water pressure was unusually low. Upon investigation, officials discovered two “industrial-scale water hookups” feeding the data center campus. “One water connection had been installed without the utility’s knowledge, and the othe…
Company behind Cedar Rapids data center used nearly 30 million gallons of water in Georgia without initially paying
An Iowa data center company is facing scrutiny in Georgia after a report found it used nearly 30 million gallons of water without initially paying for it.
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