Electric power generation for data centers is a threat to water supplies even in states outside the arid Southwest, according to a report published Tuesday by the think tank Ceres. Data centers in the seven states with the highest concentrations of them use about 3.4 trillion gallons of freshwater for electric power generation every year, but few electric power producers have connected increasing power demand to water supply risks, says the report, “The Water Behind the Watts.” That volume of water adds up to 10.4 million acre-feet—greater than the 8 million-acre-foot average annual urban water demand in California that the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office reported in 2021. It’s the equivalent to 12-times the annual water use of Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Washington, DC, combined, the think tank that advocates for clean energy and sustainable development found.

Other data center water use news:

• ABC7 (Denver, Colo.): Aurora city council takes first steps toward data center regulations after rejecting construction ban
• Source New Mexico: US Rep. Stansbury calls on New Mexico agencies to provide Project Jupiter water information
• KQED (San Francisco): Monterey Park becomes a role model for banning data centers
• The Fence Post (Greeley, Colo.): Opinion: We can live without data, but not food