I found much of high school to be haunting to one’s psyche, but when it comes to environmental damage a speech made by a classmate of mine, one Mrs. Brittany Basri, nee’ Powell, about how many gallons of water is wasted just by someone leaving water running while brushing their teeth or washing their face, sticks with me. I don’t remember the numbers but the guilt her speech induced, and my current monthly water bills, are clear associations, much like Pavlov’s infamous bell, with humanity’s vital need for water and the very real cost of what drying up looks like.
Honestly, the idea of the world going without water always seemed a bit far-fetched, however, the rise of AI Data Centers is already putting quite a hole in global H2O stores, making such an outcome more likely.
Wikipedia defines a data center as “A facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. Data centers are critical infrastructure for the storage and processing of information, and they support the global financial system, cloud services, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI).”
The Environmental and Energy Study Group says, “Data centers in the U.S. consume approximately 449 million gallons of water daily, equivalent to 163.7 billion gallons annually, significantly impacting local water resources and communities.”
Data centers need these mass amounts of water to cool servers and manage heat generated by their high-density computing operations, often to the tune of 1 to 5 million gallons of water per day, an alleged equivalence of the daily water use of a town with a population of 10,000 to 50,000 people.
An article titled The Dangers of Data Centers, outlines a list of alleged hazards caused when data centers move into the neighborhood, as one is currently looking to do in Marlboro County, Bennettsville City Administrator William Simon Jr. announced during a recent town hall meeting held by Bennettsville Councilman Cy’Heim McRae.
The article lists noise, light, and air pollution concerns, rising cost increases for home energy consumers, as well as increasing the strain on America’s already taxed and aging water infrastructure.
Other worries highlighted by the article include environmental related hearing loss, disrupted habitat and migration patterns among wildlife, increases in respiratory related illnesses, and sleep pattern disruptions among humans and animals alike.
Another alarming trend resulting from the recent outcropping of data centers is the reduction in viable farmland or properties that could be sold to generate economic growth in underprivileged areas or address housing needs.
Landapp.com suggests 50+ acres is ideal for a standard data center. The site breaks it down as small data centers use 1–10 acres, enterprise/medium data centers use 5–10 acres, and hyperscale data centers use 40–300+ acres. The site adds that exact requirements relate to planned facility size, cooling and power needs, connectivity, and other necessary requirements.
With more data centers popping up every day, so are more stories hitting the airwaves about Americans fighting back with some success.
In April, Mason County, Kentucky residents Ida Huddleston and her daughter Delsia Bare recently made news when they refused to sell 1,200 acres of farmland to an unnamed Fortune 100 AI company to build a data center. The offer? A cool $26 million!
The family, whose farming roots run deep, have reportedly stated their intention to remain firm, hold the line, and keep feeding the nation. What do you think Marlboro—are you all for artificial progress or will you too hold the line?
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