Google Strives To Keep Data Center Water Use Secret After Judge Orders Records Released
A Roanoke judge has ordered the Western Virginia Water Authority to release information related to a potential Google data center.
All over the world, Google tries to keep secret its water use
SC county to disclose Google data center’s water usage to settle legal battle, David Wren, Post and Courier, 2025
https://www.postandcourier.com/business/sc-county-to-disclose-google-data-centers-water-usage-to-settle-legal-battle/article_964c2040-d992-11ef-b88f-6f7e3b73a9a4.html
The Dalles city sues local paper to keep Google’s data center water use secret, Sebastian Moss, Data Center Dynamics, 2021
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/the-dalles-city-sues-local-paper-to-keep-googles-data-center-water-use-a-secret/
How One Arizona City Blocked a Data Center
“If Tucson can stop a data center from accessing its water, then any city can.”
The plan was simple: Take a whole lot of drinking water from the desert, use it to cool millions of blinking servers, and promise with a totally straight face to give it all back later. Specifically, the company involved was asking for 143 million gallons a year, and that was just the beginning.
"Annual water consumption by the large data centers needed to support AI industry growth can be as much as used in a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people. Most of this is potable water from water utilities."
https://www.governing.com/infrastructure/the-water-infrastructure-investments-states-will-need
If possession is 9/10ths of the law then banks and Big Tech companies own the govts that make the law.
@RnDanger @TuutW @gerrymcgovern
Yes, bizarre af.
Who would have guessed that the down fall of our species would come as a result of an infatuation with our own, arbtitrarily man-made financial systems? 🙄
@gerrymcgovern That's because their water and energy consumption is so excessive that it would hurt their (already bad) image if they released the numbers.
And in sight on the fact that water will become more essential in the future due to climate shifts and such everyone should look at that.
In Germany we had a huge controversy about the Tesla factory and their water consumption as well. They need so much water that the groundwater level is sinking. So it doesn't only relate to data centers.
@gerrymcgovern I think this is part of the thing, people keep saying "oh well water use is not that bad"
We don't fully KNOW how bad the water usage of datacenters is. But we do know that communities living near them are being impacted hugely.
But we should know.
I've seen people argue that data-center water use is not that bad, no worse than beef ranching ...but news like this is why I don't believe them.
If the data-center water use were reasonable, Google wouldn't be trying so hard to keep it hidden.
Yes. Here it is in case anyone missed it.
@Brokar @cwebber @gerrymcgovern
Well, damn!!!
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