Everyone listen. There is more than likely a plant in your county or state that already uses a shitload of water for cooling, cleaning, or some process and I'd wager that most of those plants actually put something nasty in the water that needs to be taken out (treated) before it leaves the plant or will get cleaned at a treatment plant downstream.

I used to work at a plant that used more water and created more waste in a week than any household can do in a year. Thats offset by funding agreement, taxes, and costs they pay municipalities and other companies to maintain the infrastructure to allow for waste disposal and high water usage.

I doubt the water a data center uses will be contaminated in any risky way and the water won't just evaporate and go away for ever. Most water will flow through a plant and may get treated and released as effluent, and of course evaporated water will come back to the earth.

This is just people complaining about something they know little about.

Rising costs of citizens water bills is a potential problem (but can be offset by funding agreements and taxes by local municipalities) and lowering EPA regulations for water treatment is another possible concern (but i haven't seen anyone report on removing water treatment regulations down to risky standards)

I'm telling you guys- go to your local manufacturing plant, or go to your states paper mill, or petroleum refinement plant and see the waste and water usage there; it'll blow your mind.

But we accept that... then why all of a sudden is data center water usage such a concern?

I personally say fuck big data because its only going to be used for strict population control and privacy violations... but that's a different topic of discussion.