Stopping the data centers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heard on WTOP this morning that the data centers are using up the water in the Potomac? What is that about? Is it for cooling or something? I only knew about them using up electricity.

I hadn't heard this one. When did data centers start using water?

They use some water for cooling, but it's, uh, a drop in the bucket compared to our overall water use. It's a very disingenuous talking point against data centers, and akin to being incredibly concerned about the contribution of Tic Tacs to our country's obesity epidemic. It's just not something that serious people acting in good faith are going to do.

Mhhhmmm. Care to share some data on this?

Because there is a reason that they want to build them right here in VA and MD and it's not because they don't need water.

Yes, because the DC area already has a ton of tech infrastructure and there are colocation benefits.

But, for the uninformed, this piece is a good place to start. Yes, I know it's some dude you've never heard of writing on a substack. But it's well-sourced, written for a lay audience, and you can check his sources to verify his calculations if you think he's fudging the numbers.

Shoot, I forgot to paste the link. Here it is: https://blog.andymasley.com/p/the-ai-water-issue-is-fake

I'll trust much more reliable sources that have examined this issue in a scientific way, but thanks for your bro sourse. They are absolutely a drain on the community water source, but they create a shit ton of noise pollution, they raise the temperature of an entire area, and they raise power costs exponentially. And for what? So you can use AI? No thanks.

If you had a more credible source, I'm sure that you would have used it.

I figured you'd resort to a logical fallacy or two if you found yourself incapable of addressing the argument. I can't help but notice that you haven't listed a single source for any of your assertions.

Yeah, there is no logical fallacy in rejecting one questionable source you provided.

I find it extremely lacking in logic that you'd post a source that says they don't consume water when thousands of other reputable sources are reporting otherwise. You're either being intentionally obtuse, dishonest or plain dumb.

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/sites/stpp/files/2025-07/stpp-data-centers-2025.pdf

Did you actually read that report? Did you actually dig into those numbers? Let me walk you through just one example.

On page 5, the report asserts that Google's Council Bluffs data center used 980 million gallons of water, citing Google's own environmental report. Great, we can verify that Google does indeed report that it used 980 million gallons of water in Council Bluffs. Next, it asserts that 980 million gallons of water is equivalent to the consumption of over 4 million homes. Wait, what? The average household consumes 300 gallons per water per day (https://www.epa.gov/watersense/how-we-use-water). That's 109,500 gallons per household per year (300*365), which means that the Google data center's water consumption is on par with 9,000 homes, not 4,000,000 homes! The estimate from the report is off by several orders of magnitude!

It still doesn't contradict my statement (and your attempt to dismiss it) that data centers use a shit ton of water. It's ridiculous because, of course, they do. Multiply that by numerous data centers in VA and you will not have any water left for homes.

I also love how you never even addressed the warming effects or the noise pollution. Why is that?

What good do those data centers currently bring to our communities?

I see that you're one of the folks that Churchill would've characterized as "often wrong, never in doubt." If you see the basic arithmetic error in the report that you blindly trust - for some reason - but still assert that data centers use a shit ton of water "because, of course, they do" and further assert that by multiplying data center water consumption "numerous" times, "you will not have any water left for homes," you are a lost cause. I can't reason you out of a position that you didn't reason yourself into. When you're ready to join the rest of us living in the real world, let me know.

What exactly am I wrong about? 😂😂 nothing you said disproves they are using a lot more water than you originally claimed. You also refuse to address other issues with data centers or even explain what they are good for. You have nothing by cheap personal insults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heard on WTOP this morning that the data centers are using up the water in the Potomac? What is that about? Is it for cooling or something? I only knew about them using up electricity.

I hadn't heard this one. When did data centers start using water?

They use some water for cooling, but it's, uh, a drop in the bucket compared to our overall water use. It's a very disingenuous talking point against data centers, and akin to being incredibly concerned about the contribution of Tic Tacs to our country's obesity epidemic. It's just not something that serious people acting in good faith are going to do.

Mhhhmmm. Care to share some data on this?

Because there is a reason that they want to build them right here in VA and MD and it's not because they don't need water.

Yes, because the DC area already has a ton of tech infrastructure and there are colocation benefits.

But, for the uninformed, this piece is a good place to start. Yes, I know it's some dude you've never heard of writing on a substack. But it's well-sourced, written for a lay audience, and you can check his sources to verify his calculations if you think he's fudging the numbers.

Shoot, I forgot to paste the link. Here it is: https://blog.andymasley.com/p/the-ai-water-issue-is-fake

I'll trust much more reliable sources that have examined this issue in a scientific way, but thanks for your bro sourse. They are absolutely a drain on the community water source, but they create a shit ton of noise pollution, they raise the temperature of an entire area, and they raise power costs exponentially. And for what? So you can use AI? No thanks.

If you had a more credible source, I'm sure that you would have used it.

I figured you'd resort to a logical fallacy or two if you found yourself incapable of addressing the argument. I can't help but notice that you haven't listed a single source for any of your assertions.

Yeah, there is no logical fallacy in rejecting one questionable source you provided.

I find it extremely lacking in logic that you'd post a source that says they don't consume water when thousands of other reputable sources are reporting otherwise. You're either being intentionally obtuse, dishonest or plain dumb.

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/sites/stpp/files/2025-07/stpp-data-centers-2025.pdf

Did you actually read that report? Did you actually dig into those numbers? Let me walk you through just one example.

On page 5, the report asserts that Google's Council Bluffs data center used 980 million gallons of water, citing Google's own environmental report. Great, we can verify that Google does indeed report that it used 980 million gallons of water in Council Bluffs. Next, it asserts that 980 million gallons of water is equivalent to the consumption of over 4 million homes. Wait, what? The average household consumes 300 gallons per water per day (https://www.epa.gov/watersense/how-we-use-water). That's 109,500 gallons per household per year (300*365), which means that the Google data center's water consumption is on par with 9,000 homes, not 4,000,000 homes! The estimate from the report is off by several orders of magnitude!

It still doesn't contradict my statement (and your attempt to dismiss it) that data centers use a shit ton of water. It's ridiculous because, of course, they do. Multiply that by numerous data centers in VA and you will not have any water left for homes.

I also love how you never even addressed the warming effects or the noise pollution. Why is that?

What good do those data centers currently bring to our communities?

I see that you're one of the folks that Churchill would've characterized as "often wrong, never in doubt." If you see the basic arithmetic error in the report that you blindly trust - for some reason - but still assert that data centers use a shit ton of water "because, of course, they do" and further assert that by multiplying data center water consumption "numerous" times, "you will not have any water left for homes," you are a lost cause. I can't reason you out of a position that you didn't reason yourself into. When you're ready to join the rest of us living in the real world, let me know.

What exactly am I wrong about? 😂😂 nothing you said disproves they are using a lot more water than you originally claimed. You also refuse to address other issues with data centers or even explain what they are good for. You have nothing by cheap personal insults.

My original claim, which you can see on this thread, is that data center water usage is a drop in the bucket compared to our overall usage. It is. You are wrong. That you think nothing I've said disproves that they are using a "shit ton" of water is, uh, concerning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heard on WTOP this morning that the data centers are using up the water in the Potomac? What is that about? Is it for cooling or something? I only knew about them using up electricity.

I hadn't heard this one. When did data centers start using water?

They use some water for cooling, but it's, uh, a drop in the bucket compared to our overall water use. It's a very disingenuous talking point against data centers, and akin to being incredibly concerned about the contribution of Tic Tacs to our country's obesity epidemic. It's just not something that serious people acting in good faith are going to do.

Mhhhmmm. Care to share some data on this?

Because there is a reason that they want to build them right here in VA and MD and it's not because they don't need water.

Yes, because the DC area already has a ton of tech infrastructure and there are colocation benefits.

But, for the uninformed, this piece is a good place to start. Yes, I know it's some dude you've never heard of writing on a substack. But it's well-sourced, written for a lay audience, and you can check his sources to verify his calculations if you think he's fudging the numbers.

Shoot, I forgot to paste the link. Here it is: https://blog.andymasley.com/p/the-ai-water-issue-is-fake

I'll trust much more reliable sources that have examined this issue in a scientific way, but thanks for your bro sourse. They are absolutely a drain on the community water source, but they create a shit ton of noise pollution, they raise the temperature of an entire area, and they raise power costs exponentially. And for what? So you can use AI? No thanks.

If you had a more credible source, I'm sure that you would have used it.

I figured you'd resort to a logical fallacy or two if you found yourself incapable of addressing the argument. I can't help but notice that you haven't listed a single source for any of your assertions.

Yeah, there is no logical fallacy in rejecting one questionable source you provided.

I find it extremely lacking in logic that you'd post a source that says they don't consume water when thousands of other reputable sources are reporting otherwise. You're either being intentionally obtuse, dishonest or plain dumb.

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/sites/stpp/files/2025-07/stpp-data-centers-2025.pdf

Did you actually read that report? Did you actually dig into those numbers? Let me walk you through just one example.

On page 5, the report asserts that Google's Council Bluffs data center used 980 million gallons of water, citing Google's own environmental report. Great, we can verify that Google does indeed report that it used 980 million gallons of water in Council Bluffs. Next, it asserts that 980 million gallons of water is equivalent to the consumption of over 4 million homes. Wait, what? The average household consumes 300 gallons per water per day (https://www.epa.gov/watersense/how-we-use-water). That's 109,500 gallons per household per year (300*365), which means that the Google data center's water consumption is on par with 9,000 homes, not 4,000,000 homes! The estimate from the report is off by several orders of magnitude!

It still doesn't contradict my statement (and your attempt to dismiss it) that data centers use a shit ton of water. It's ridiculous because, of course, they do. Multiply that by numerous data centers in VA and you will not have any water left for homes.

I also love how you never even addressed the warming effects or the noise pollution. Why is that?

What good do those data centers currently bring to our communities?

I see that you're one of the folks that Churchill would've characterized as "often wrong, never in doubt." If you see the basic arithmetic error in the report that you blindly trust - for some reason - but still assert that data centers use a shit ton of water "because, of course, they do" and further assert that by multiplying data center water consumption "numerous" times, "you will not have any water left for homes," you are a lost cause. I can't reason you out of a position that you didn't reason yourself into. When you're ready to join the rest of us living in the real world, let me know.

What exactly am I wrong about? 😂😂 nothing you said disproves they are using a lot more water than you originally claimed. You also refuse to address other issues with data centers or even explain what they are good for. You have nothing by cheap personal insults.

My original claim, which you can see on this thread, is that data center water usage is a drop in the bucket compared to our overall usage. It is. You are wrong. That you think nothing I've said disproves that they are using a "shit ton" of water is, uh, concerning.

Haha no dude. A simple google search proved you wrong.

[Anonymous]

They use water - lots of water and pollute it

Water Authority Releases Google Data Center Records Ahead of Scheduled Contempt Hearing; The authority agreed to provide the project 2 million gallons of water daily & a wastewater capacity of 570,000 gallons daily. Climbing to 8 million gallons of water daily based on future expansion, the final contracts reveal.
https://www.roanokerambler.com/water-authority-releases-google-data-center-records-ahead-scheduled-contempt-hearing/

[Anonymous]

To all the people yapping about OMG WATER.

Please understand that we have a lot of water and it is no way a resource that is constrained in any fashion whatsoever. At all. Water is cheap. It's everywhere. We know how to get it and clean it and serve it. These data centers aren't stealing a water glass from granny, don't worry.

Please harp on something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heard on WTOP this morning that the data centers are using up the water in the Potomac? What is that about? Is it for cooling or something? I only knew about them using up electricity.

I hadn't heard this one. When did data centers start using water?

They use some water for cooling, but it's, uh, a drop in the bucket compared to our overall water use. It's a very disingenuous talking point against data centers, and akin to being incredibly concerned about the contribution of Tic Tacs to our country's obesity epidemic. It's just not something that serious people acting in good faith are going to do.

Mhhhmmm. Care to share some data on this?

Because there is a reason that they want to build them right here in VA and MD and it's not because they don't need water.

Yes, because the DC area already has a ton of tech infrastructure and there are colocation benefits.

But, for the uninformed, this piece is a good place to start. Yes, I know it's some dude you've never heard of writing on a substack. But it's well-sourced, written for a lay audience, and you can check his sources to verify his calculations if you think he's fudging the numbers.

Shoot, I forgot to paste the link. Here it is: https://blog.andymasley.com/p/the-ai-water-issue-is-fake

I'll trust much more reliable sources that have examined this issue in a scientific way, but thanks for your bro sourse. They are absolutely a drain on the community water source, but they create a shit ton of noise pollution, they raise the temperature of an entire area, and they raise power costs exponentially. And for what? So you can use AI? No thanks.

If you had a more credible source, I'm sure that you would have used it.

I figured you'd resort to a logical fallacy or two if you found yourself incapable of addressing the argument. I can't help but notice that you haven't listed a single source for any of your assertions.

Yeah, there is no logical fallacy in rejecting one questionable source you provided.

I find it extremely lacking in logic that you'd post a source that says they don't consume water when thousands of other reputable sources are reporting otherwise. You're either being intentionally obtuse, dishonest or plain dumb.

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://stpp.fordschool.umich.edu/sites/stpp/files/2025-07/stpp-data-centers-2025.pdf

Did you actually read that report? Did you actually dig into those numbers? Let me walk you through just one example.

On page 5, the report asserts that Google's Council Bluffs data center used 980 million gallons of water, citing Google's own environmental report. Great, we can verify that Google does indeed report that it used 980 million gallons of water in Council Bluffs. Next, it asserts that 980 million gallons of water is equivalent to the consumption of over 4 million homes. Wait, what? The average household consumes 300 gallons per water per day (https://www.epa.gov/watersense/how-we-use-water). That's 109,500 gallons per household per year (300*365), which means that the Google data center's water consumption is on par with 9,000 homes, not 4,000,000 homes! The estimate from the report is off by several orders of magnitude!

It still doesn't contradict my statement (and your attempt to dismiss it) that data centers use a shit ton of water. It's ridiculous because, of course, they do. Multiply that by numerous data centers in VA and you will not have any water left for homes.

I also love how you never even addressed the warming effects or the noise pollution. Why is that?

What good do those data centers currently bring to our communities?

I see that you're one of the folks that Churchill would've characterized as "often wrong, never in doubt." If you see the basic arithmetic error in the report that you blindly trust - for some reason - but still assert that data centers use a shit ton of water "because, of course, they do" and further assert that by multiplying data center water consumption "numerous" times, "you will not have any water left for homes," you are a lost cause. I can't reason you out of a position that you didn't reason yourself into. When you're ready to join the rest of us living in the real world, let me know.

What exactly am I wrong about? 😂😂 nothing you said disproves they are using a lot more water than you originally claimed. You also refuse to address other issues with data centers or even explain what they are good for. You have nothing by cheap personal insults.

My original claim, which you can see on this thread, is that data center water usage is a drop in the bucket compared to our overall usage. It is. You are wrong. That you think nothing I've said disproves that they are using a "shit ton" of water is, uh, concerning.

Haha no dude. A simple google search proved you wrong.

"Arguing with an idiot is like playing chess with a pigeon. It'll just knock over the pieces, shit on the board and strut about like it's won anyway"

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

It’s going to be pretty interesting when these data centers result in mass layoffs in the tech heavy companies that helped nova grow. I find it hard to reconcile the competing claims about pollution and water use but I have no doubt that tech companies aren’t investing billions in these data centers as a means to fuel job growth but instead as a means to scale back on human labor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s going to be pretty interesting when these data centers result in mass layoffs in the tech heavy companies that helped nova grow. I find it hard to reconcile the competing claims about pollution and water use but I have no doubt that tech companies aren’t investing billions in these data centers as a means to fuel job growth but instead as a means to scale back on human labor.

As long as they pay their property taxes, the local governments will be happy.

[Anonymous]

I don't know what to tell you. Louise Lucas wants that sweet, sweet sales tax money. NoVA is getting more data centers.

And casinos.

For those of you defending the data centers, go up to data center alley near the Ashburn rink or the new cluster of data centers near Ion training center, spend a full day, and report back how you feel. Headaches? Weird fatigue? Maybe take an EMF detector and see what you are being exposed to. It’s not pretty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know what to tell you. Louise Lucas wants that sweet, sweet sales tax money. NoVA is getting more data centers.

And casinos.

For those of you defending the data centers, go up to data center alley near the Ashburn rink or the new cluster of data centers near Ion training center, spend a full day, and report back how you feel. Headaches? Weird fatigue? Maybe take an EMF detector and see what you are being exposed to. It’s not pretty.

I worked in a data center for 20 years. I can report nothing unusual.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's out in Ashburn. Now we can't build data centers out in the exurbs?

Spoken like a true tech bro do*che.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's out in Ashburn. Now we can't build data centers out in the exurbs?

Not sure Ashburn is an exurb and if it was, why would this matter? People live in these places, and their lives are no less important than yours.

I really don’t want them built anywhere because they are a huge resource suck no matter where they are built and they are ruining peoples’ way of life (and probably all of our livelihoods).

I am lucky I live in Fairfax county where it is already very filled in and there are no data centers very close to my house, though it looks like they are building one across from my kid’s school. Hopefully our county government doesn’t get any big ideas and start selling park land.

+100
I would be very happy if these data centers - and AI in general - simply imploded.

Why? AI is great and we need these data centers for progress. What is your problem with them exactly? Why do you hate progress?

I cant wait until AI takes your job. You don’t sound very smart. Low hanging fruit. lol.