• A growing number of U.S. lawmakers are seeking greater oversight of AI centers that use large amounts of water for cooling.
  • The issue is raising questions on the tradeoff between high-tech expansion and access to crucial resources.
  • A $58 billion energy and water appropriations bill was approved by a House committee with an amendment aimed at holding EPA and other agencies more accountable on how data centers are operating. 

A growing chorus of lawmakers are calling for federal oversight of big tech data centers that critics say are pushing straining water supplies in some areas.

They also may be impacting water quality. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., asked EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jessica Kramer at a House Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee hearing last week if she’s heard complaints about data center construction contaminating drinking water.

Kramer said she’s aware of concerns about water availability, but not quality. Ocasio-Cortez then held up two jars of brown drinking water she said was from Morgan County, Georgia, where Meta is building a data center. 

“Families in the area are starting to see not only their water pressure decrease, to your point about water availability, but their appliances have all stopped working because it is decimating their water quality,” the New York Democrat said. “They now rely on bottled water to drink and prepare meals, and nearby residents’ water bills are expected to increase by 33 percent.” 

On whether the Environmental Protection Agency plans any investigation, Kramer said she’ll look into the issue. 

“It's of utmost importance that we also launch congressional investigations into this matter as well, so that we can partner with the EPA and ensure that the drinking water for this country continues to be safe and accessible,” Ocasio-Cortez said. 

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Separately, Republicans and Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee united last week on a measure that would direct the Energy Department to work with EPA and other agencies to identify and mitigate potential data center impacts on water, energy and power grid reliability. The amendment from Energy and Water Development Subcommittee Chairman Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., was added to a $58 billion fiscal 2027 energy and water bill approved by the panel.

“In my state of New Jersey, electricity rates have jumped 20%,” Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., said. “Families are being asked to conserve water while enormous facilities consume millions of gallons for cooling operations nationwide.” 

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The heightened attention on U.S. data centers powering artificial intelligence and cloud computing is coming from federal, state and local governments. Discussion on the rapid rise of the tech facilities is also increasing in agriculture and other industries and showing up in popular culture in the form of debate and comedy. 

Seven in 10 Americans are against building data centers for AI in their local area, according to a Gallup poll released earlier this month. Half of opponents cite the data centers’ use of resources, with 16% mentioning water pollution or a similar environmental concern. 

The amount of water used varies depending on the way data centers cool themselves and how large they are.

"Context matters," says an analysis from KETOS, which offers a vertically integrated water quality monitoring platform for agricultural, commercial and metropolitan water users. "Yes, data centers use a lot of water, but they are not all alike. A large facility can withdraw millions of gallons a day, yet others use hardly any."

Nationally, the analysis says, "all U.S. data centers use <1% of water withdrawals. However, local impacts can be serious in water-scarce areas – e.g., one Oregon town found Google’s data centers took over 25% of the city’s water supply in 2021. So, data centers can stress local water, but it depends on the location, cooling method, and water sourcing. Many modern data centers are mitigating this by using alternative water sources and more efficient cooling."

Reps. Jim Costa, D-Calif., and Blake Moore, R-Utah, introduced legislation last September that would require an interagency federal study on how the explosive growth of AI data centers is affecting rural communities. 

Ohio Farm Bureau Federation President Bill Patterson told Agri-Pulse in March that data centers in his state were on every corner, like Dollar General stores.

“All we're asking, from an agricultural standpoint, is transparency,” he said while discussing shifting land use in Ohio. “We want to make sure that we're in the conversation.”

Lydia Johnson contributed to this article.