Georgia county says data center used 30M gallons without billing

In short: A Georgia county says a large data center site used nearly 30 million gallons of water before the utility realized it was not being billed.

What happened

Fayette County, Georgia investigated water use at a data center development run by Quality Technology Services, also known as QTS. Politico reported the site used almost 30 million gallons of water without paying at first. This happened while local residents were being told to cut back because of drought conditions.

County utility officials said the problem came from two industrial water connections that were not properly tracked. One connection was installed without the utility’s knowledge, and the other was not linked to QTS’s account, so it was not billed. The county later charged QTS about $150,000, using a higher construction rate.

Residents also reported water pressure drops. QTS told Ars Technica it is “false and inaccurate” to suggest it used water improperly, and said it paid once the billing issue was flagged and that its usage followed regulations. County officials also said complaints about pressure involved private wells, and QTS does not draw from wells or groundwater.

Why it matters

Data centers are large buildings full of computers, and building them can use a lot of water, like a major construction project that needs a steady supply. This case shows how fast-growing data center development can overwhelm older water systems and staffing, especially when meters and monitoring are outdated. It also highlights a bigger issue: even if a data center uses less water after construction, the electricity it needs can still drive water use elsewhere, because power plants often use water to produce power.

Source: Arstechnica