Agriculture

Ranchers / Farmers

Data Centres Can Compete With Agriculture for Water

Data centers need large, continuous water supplies for cooling. In areas with limited groundwater, this can increase pressure on the same aquifers used by farmers, livestock operators and rural households.

Private Wells Can Be Vulnerable

In Georgia, residents living near Meta’s data centre reported wells losing pressure, sediment problems and taps running dry following construction.[1]

Wastewater Can Affect Irrigation and Groundwater

In Wyoming, bacterial contamination in recycled irrigation water was linked to wastewater of Meta’s data-centre development.[2]

In Oregon’s Lower Umatilla Basin, the Port of Morrow was fined $1.3 million for violations involving nitrogen-rich industrial wastewater. Data centres were among the industries using the system, but the fine does not prove that they caused the region’s nitrate contamination.[3]

These cases show why wastewater from data-centre construction and operations must be properly treated, monitored and managed. Especially where groundwater is already under pressure.

Why This Matters to Rural Families

failed wells

lost crops

stressed livestock

major costs for treatment or replacement wells.