By: Daisy Davis
AI data centers are being developed across Georgia, and there are still a lot of questions about these centers and how they use one of our most important natural resources: Water.
A data center is a secure facility that houses computer systems and infrastructure used to store, manage, and process large amounts of data.
According to the Savannah River Keeper website, a typical data center can use three to five million gallons of water per day. This is roughly the same water usage as a city with a population of 30,000 to 50,000 people.
Stetson Rowles, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction at Georgia Southern University, is an environmental engineer who focuses on water quality, water treatment, and resource recovery from different waste streams.
“From a contaminant standpoint, it may not be that much of an issue," said Rowles. “The thing I think is really important and overlooked is the thermal aspect.”
Rowles said that if the data center is not on a closed-loop water system, meaning that water is recycled through the data center and reused for cooling, it will require a much greater amount of water for this process.
“They’re cooling these computer system servers, but when they’re doing that, where is that heat going? Into the water,” said Rowles. “And where does that water go afterwards? Into natural bodies of water.”
The concern with this is that it could have detrimental effects on the ecosystem in the body of water, as well as the freshwater we rely on.
Rowles said that the main problem with the amount of water usage would be the risk of over-withdrawal of freshwater, which could lead to saltwater intrusion. This means that if freshwater levels drop dramatically, saltwater might intrude into the Floridian Aquifer. Once this happens, Rowles said, it is not reversible.
“The city of Savannah was traditionally getting all of their water from the aquifer,” said Rowles. “They’ve realized that’s not the safest bet, because that saltwater intrusion has already started happening.”
Rowles said that the city of Savannah is currently having to extract water from the Savannah River and Abercorn Creek to mix with water from the aquifer in order to create a more sustainable resource moving forward.
Lissa Leege, Ph.D., a biology professor at Georgia Southern, says that AI data centers could be a concern to residents and the environment, and they are moving into South Georgia for a reason.
“Data centers in Georgia are multiplying fast because energy is relatively cheap here and water is cheap and more readily available than in a place like California,” said Leege. “No one really knows exactly how many data centers are here right now since there’s no state database, but estimates are around one to two hundred.”
Leege said that there may be more negative impacts to locating the data centers in Georgia, as opposed to states with more moderate temperatures, due to how much cooling water will be needed in the state's high temperatures.
“The Hyundai meta plant already uses around 4 million gallons of water a day, and any additional infrastructure, such as data centers, would just add additional strain on our water resources,” said Leege.
Echoing Rowles concerns, Leege says that the biggest issue would be the water table dropping, and residents no longer being able to access freshwater in their wells.
Leege also said these centers could impact biodiversity and take up quite a bit of land.
“The largest data center is 970,000 square feet, which is nearly 22 acres,” said Leege.“Unless the data centers are built on land that is already developed, these centers could impact biodiversity in areas such as wetlands and forests. Depending on the location, these centers could also result in the loss of arable farmland.”
Meaghan Gerard, Communications and Administrative Director for Ogeechee Riverkeeper, said that no data centers have been proposed for their watershed, but a data center has been proposed in Port Wentworth (Chatham County).
"The City of Statesboro would need to create an ordinance by which to allow data centers in the city,” said Leege. “They are not currently allowed.”
According to Georgia Public Broadcasting, Georgia legislators have proposed seven bills regulating data centers in 2026.