Oregon senator: “Many communities in my state are concerned about how these centers could contribute to water scarcity in the coming years, especially as our state grapples with persistent drought.”
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden today, April 30, pressed the heads of Google, Apple, Meta and Amazon to answer questions about their companies’ use of technologies — including closed-loop systems — that minimize groundwater withdrawals and local impacts to water from their data centers in Oregon.
“Most data centers use large amounts of energy to operate and large volumes of water to cool servers and prevent overheating. This water is usually drawn from surface, ground, municipal or reclaimed water sources,” Wyden wrote in separate letters to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta Chair/CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Amazon President/CEO Andy Jassy. “Large data centers can consume up to 5 million gallons per day, or the equivalent to the water use of a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people.
“Furthermore, recent reporting suggests that without proper infrastructure, data centers can produce water and environmental pollutants,” Wyden wrote. “As a result, many communities in my state are concerned about how these centers could contribute to water scarcity in the coming years, especially as our state grapples with persistent drought.”
Wyden noted in his letter that Oregon has more than 100 data centers with the potential for many more.
“Data centers are infrastructure that support the development of new technologies and cloud computing, and thus play a role in competitiveness and national security,” he wrote. “However, they can also impact local communities and the environment if not managed sustainably and transparently.”
He asked the Big Tech executives to answer the following questions by May 29:
How is your company considering and using the best available technologies to minimize groundwater withdrawals and the impact on local water resources and infrastructure?
Under what conditions can closed-loop cooling systems, which enable the reuse of water, be successful?
Is your company already using closed-loop systems at your centers in Oregon? If not, will you consider doing so?
What steps are you taking to mitigate the impacts of concentrated contaminants in water?
What tools and practices are available to the public to accurately track how much water data centers in their community are using?
How will you work with communities to transparently share the amount of water your data centers are using and the source of that water?
How can this information be communicated in the early planning and permitting process, as well as during the period the data center is operating?
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