Wed, 09 Jul 2025

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 'I can't drink the water' - life next to a US data centre

Residents in rural Georgia say the data centre next door has disrupted their water supply.

* Beverly Morris, a retired woman living in rural Georgia, has seen her peaceful life disrupted by the construction of a Meta-owned data center just 400 yards from her home.
* The data center, which powers services like Facebook and ChatGPT, has allegedly contaminated Morris's private well, making it undrinkable.
* Morris is not alone in her concerns; many communities worldwide are experiencing similar issues as the number of data centers grows to meet increasing demand for online services and AI tools.
* Data Center Watch reports that $64 billion worth of projects have been delayed or blocked nationwide due to local activism against the facilities, which consume massive amounts of water for cooling purposes.
* Critics argue that tech giants like Meta are not doing enough to mitigate the environmental impact of their operations, despite claims from companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS) that they are taking steps to reduce their water footprint.
* As data centers proliferate, the strain on local resources and infrastructure is becoming increasingly apparent, sparking a debate about the long-term sustainability of the industry.
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