When Beverly Morris retired in 2016, she believed she had discovered her ideal home – a serene expanse of rural Georgia, enveloped by trees and tranquility. However, her current reality tells a different story. A mere 400 yards (366m) from her front porch in Mansfield, Georgia, stands a sizable, windowless structure housing servers, cables, and flashing lights – a data center. These facilities have been cropping up in small-town America and worldwide, supporting various essential functions such as online banking and artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT.
Ms. Morris expresses her distress, stating, “I can’t inhabit my home with only half of it operational and no access to clean water. I can’t even drink the water.” She suspects that the data center, owned by Meta (the parent company of Facebook), has disturbed her private well, leading to an excess accumulation of sediment. Ms. Morris now transports water in containers to use for basic tasks like flushing her toilet. Although she has made repairs to the kitchen plumbing to resolve water pressure issues, the tap water still contains residue.
Despite Meta’s claim that the data center operations are unrelated to Ms. Morris’s water problems, she remains wary. In response to concerns raised by Morris, Meta declared that prioritizing good neighborly relations is key. An independent groundwater study commissioned by the company concluded that the data center activities have not negatively impacted the groundwater quality in the area.
While Meta refutes any responsibility for Ms. Morris’s water issues, she firmly believes that the company has overstayed its welcome as her neighbor. Referring to the situation, she laments, “This was my perfect spot, but it no longer feels that way.”
The construction of vast data centers is proliferating across Georgia and beyond, reflecting the physical reality behind the virtual “cloud” we envision. These data centers, numbering over 10,000 globally, are essential for managing the increasing online traffic driven by AI technologies like ChatGPT. This surge in data center construction has prompted mounting complaints from local residents, leading to delays and opposition in various projects nationwide.
Apart from construction concerns, water consumption is a significant issue associated with data centers. The substantial water requirements for cooling these facilities – due to the heat generated by processors – have raised environmental alarms. Many data centers utilize evaporative cooling systems, consuming millions of gallons of water on scorching days. It is estimated that AI-powered data centers could collectively consume 1.7 trillion gallons of water by 2027.
Georgia exemplifies this clash between data center expansion and environmental sustainability. The state’s humid climate offers a natural and cost-efficient water source for cooling these facilities, making it an attractive location for developers. However, this convenience may come at an environmental cost, as highlighted by Gordon Rogers, the executive director of Flint Riverkeeper, who monitors the health of Georgia’s Flint River.
A water sample is collected by local volunteer George Dietz from the river, which appears cloudy and brown, possibly indicating sediment runoff and flocculants. While US firm Quality Technology Services (QTS) claims high environmental standards and local tax revenue, concerns arise over construction practices impacting water quality. Residents like Mr. Rogers express frustration over the consequences faced due to construction activities by third-party contractors. Tech giants, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), aim to address environmental issues by investing in water stewardship projects worldwide. Efforts such as leak repairs, rainwater harvesting, and collaboration with farmers to reduce pollution in water bodies are highlighted. Despite the environmental challenges posed by data centers in terms of water consumption, steps are being taken towards sustainability and smarter infrastructure. The rapid growth of data centers as a crucial aspect of modern life raises the importance of long-term solutions for energy efficiency and water conservation. President Trump’s pledge to develop a massive AI infrastructure project underscores the significance of data centers in national policy. In Georgia, locals experience the impact of data center development on their surroundings, highlighting the need for balancing technological advancements with environmental concerns, especially regarding water usage.
Certainly! Here are the rewritten titles:
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