The rapid growth of data centers is raising a new concern: Depletion of drinking water supplies across the Midwest.
Large data centers, many devoted to researching artificial intelligence, are expected to use more than 150 billion gallons of water across the U.S. over the next five years, according to the advocacy organization Alliance for the Great Lakes.
That’s enough water to supply 4.6 million homes.
The data centers, which also use large amounts of power, need water for cooling and because of the size of the large operations — sometimes more than 10,000 square feet — an enormous amount is needed for each site.
But in almost all instances, the amount of water that’s being withdrawn for a single data center development is unknown because secrecy agreements between government bodies and companies keep this information from being publicly disclosed, according to Helena Volzer, water policy expert with the Chicago-based group.
“Most of the focus around data centers has been on the energy side,” Volzer said. “What we don’t know about water questions is more than what we do know.”
An industry representative said many data centers are mindful of the concerns and are working to use water efficiently.
Gov. JB Pritzker is in a race with other states to bring in data operations to fuel economic development. Chicago and Illinois are being targeted for massive data centers, lured in by state and local government subsidies. There are more than 200 across the state already either built or in development.
As this industry continues to explode, state and local politicians need to consider how to address the water-demand issues, Volzer said.
More transparent contracts detailing water usage and other specifics is a good start, she added.
Reusing recyclable water that’s not suitable for drinking is another strategy, Volzer said. This can be water recycled within a data center, stormwater or even municipal wastewater, said Ben Glickstein, a spokesman for the WateReuse Association in Virginia.
As underground water supplies dry up, that could raise the need to draw more from the Great Lakes, which Volzer calls a “finite resource” because only 1% of the lakes’ volume is replenished each year from rainfall, groundwater or melting snow.
Water systems just outside Chicago and across the Midwest are already showing stress from increased water demand.
Joliet, which has seen a boom in warehousing and other economic growth over the past decade, and nearby communities are purchasing Lake Michigan water from Chicago for more than $1 billion for decades because of a looming shortage.
For most cities along Lake Michigan, there is a ban on selling water to other areas. Chicago has an exemption, however.
A spike in homebuilding, development and agricultural needs in Southwest Michigan, a favorite vacation area for Chicagoans, is straining groundwater sources there as well, Volzer said.
In fact, agricultural needs spurred by hot, dry summers are also adding to the water demand, she added.
Illinois state lawmakers tried to address the issue of increased power demands from data centers during their legislative session in the spring, but business groups beat back the effort.
A bill proposing that data center energy and water usage information be made public was introduced in the same session but was sent to committee and never debated.
“The data center industry prioritizes efficient water practices and responsible management,” said Jon Hukill, spokesman for Virginia-based Data Center Coalition. “Data centers are also actively investing in and deploying innovations, such as waterless cooling systems, closed-loop systems and the use of recycled or reclaimed water.”
Contributing: Abby Miller