Georgia Data Center Drains Millions of Gallons Unpaid

Residents in Fayetteville, Georgia, discovered that a Quality Technology Services data center campus had consumed nearly 30 million gallons of water without proper payment. This came to light last year when locals in Annelise Park subdivision reported unusually low water pressure.

Investigations revealed two industrial water hookups for the data center campus, located 20 miles south of Atlanta. One connection was undocumented, and the other was not billed, leading to a retroactive charge of $147,474 for the unaccounted-for water. The data center developer has since paid the bill, attributing the usage to construction activities and a system conversion by the county.

This incident has amplified concerns about the significant water and energy demands of data centers. The Fayetteville City Council responded by voting to ban new data centers in all zoning districts within the city. Georgia, which hosts over 200 data centers, is facing a drought and wildfire crisis, making water consumption by these facilities a contentious political issue.

Residents expressed frustration over being asked to conserve water while a major industrial user allegedly depleted resources without consequence. QTS, owned by Blackstone, claims its "closed-loop" cooling system does not consume water for cooling, and that its high usage was temporary. Once fully operational, they state water usage will be minimal, equivalent to four households.

County water officials cited procedural mix-ups and staffing shortages during the transition to a new system for the oversight. Despite the large volume of unpaid water use, the utility chose not to fine the data center, citing a need for partnership with their largest customer, a decision that has drawn further criticism from residents and experts.