How Data Centers Use Water: Cooling, Consumption, Wastewater & What Communities Need to Know
Water has become one of the biggest concerns for communities facing data center development, but understanding how much water a facility will actually use, and what happens to that water afterward isn't always straightforward.
What does it mean when a developer says a data center will use a “closed-loop” cooling system? Why do some cooling systems consume so much water? Where does the wastewater go, what might be in it, and can local wastewater treatment systems handle it?
Join Amy Adams of the Southeast Climate and Energy Network (SCEN), for a practical conversation about how data centers use water and what communities need to know when evaluating proposed projects.
During this webinar, Amy will break down how data center cooling systems work, including open- and closed-loop systems, water consumption and evaporation, chemicals used in cooling, and wastewater and discharge. We’ll also look at the permits communities should be watching for and the potential impacts on aquifers, watersheds, and local water and wastewater infrastructure.
Most importantly, we’ll talk about what communities should be asking developers and local officials before these projects are approved and how to recognize when you’re not getting the full story about a data center’s water use and impacts.
About the speaker: Amy is Deputy Director at the Southeast Climate and Energy Network, or SCEN, a regional network working to advance equitable climate and energy solutions across the South.
Before joining SCEN, Amy worked at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. She later joined Appalachian Voices, where she became a leading organizer and advocate for coal ash accountability following the Dan River disaster.
Amy brings a really valuable perspective to this conversation because her work sits at the intersection of environmental protection, public accountability, and community organizing. More recently, she's been digging into the water and policy implications of AI and data center development and thinking about what communities need to know to protect their resources.
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