Virginia counties pledge nearly 20 million gallons daily to Amazon data centers, raising water sustainability questions

Summary

This article examines the water usage of Amazon data centers in Virginia, focusing on four counties (Louisa, Spotsylvania, Caroline, and Stafford) that have collectively promised nearly 20 million gallons of water per day to Amazon for data center cooling operations. The piece explores the tension between Amazon's framing of its water use as relatively small compared to other uses (like lawn watering) and local concerns about water availability, especially during droughts. It highlights the lack of transparency around water usage agreements and raises questions about whether local communities are adequately considering long-term water sustainability when making these commitments to tech companies.

Source

bskyVirginia counties pledge nearly 20 million gallons daily to Amazon data centers, raising water sustainability questionsvirginiamercury.com