Groups urge state not to ignore water challenges posed by data centers and crypto mining
Suspension of key planning process raises red flags
Atlanta, Georgia –The Georgia Water Coalition (GWC), a coalition of more than 260 conservation organizations, farmers, homeowners and lake associations, business owners, sportsmen’s clubs, professional associations, and religious groups that care about safeguarding Georgia’s water resources, has spent more than 20 years advocating for smart water management to protect Georgia’s rivers, lakes, streams and underground reservoirs. Today the Coalition is releasing a statement urging protection of Georgia’s water resources from data center speculation and overdevelopment.
Data centers have emerged as a major threat to the balance between growth and water resources in the state. A single data center, such as a proposed data center in Coweta County, can require 9 million gallons of water a day from the Chattahoochee River, more than twice the water withdrawal allowed to provide water to the city of Dublin.
In July, the Department of Community Affairs announced they had stopped requiring new data center proposals from entering into the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) process. Large developments that will have far reaching implications beyond a single city or community’s limits trigger the regional impact review process.
“Suspending analysis of proposed data centers is short sighted,” said Amy Sharma who chairs the Georgia Water Coalition’s Data Center Committee and is the Executive Director of Science for Georgia. “We urge the Department of Community Affairs to reverse their decision. Data centers can require a tremendous amount of water and could have huge and lasting impacts on Georgia’s rivers and water resources. Studying that impact at the regional and state level is critical.”
How much water data centers currently use is relatively unknown. And this made the DRI process important: proposed projects were required to estimate water needs. In Georgia, there is no comprehensive information about the impacts data centers have on Georgia’s water supply, energy reserve, tax dollars, or jobs.
“The Georgia Water Coalition acknowledges the need for some data centers in the state,” said Sharma. “But our groups urge adoption of policies that will clarify the impact these major water and energy users will have on Georgia’s waterways.”
GWC outlined four basic principles for data center development to follow moving forward:
Transparency. Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs should reestablish the DRI application process that previously included data centers. Additionally, the Georgia General Assembly must pass HB 528, the High Use Facilities Transparency Act. This measure would ensure uniform and transparent reporting of energy and water usage, tax incentives and abatements, and job creation by existing data center operators to properly understand what these resource intensive facilities give and take from Georgia.
State and regional level coordination. Data must be connected and shared with local, regional and state planners in a timely manner. Better data will facilitate better decision making. Transparency about actual water use will enable better planning for future water demands. With state assistance, communities can plan for a sustainable future. Otherwise, we risk water shortages, especially when the next drought arrives.
Protections for Georgia families and farmers. Data centers typically require energy, water, and other infrastructure upgrades. All of these needs can have impacts on land and water. During the planning stage, it is essential to understand what new infrastructure is needed, where it will go, and who will pay for it. SB 34 is a good start; it ensures that power upgrades are not paid for by Georgia Power customers. But we need broader protections around resource use and infrastructure upgrades.
Investments in renewable solutions and the community. The anticipated and unprecedented new energy demand presented by proposed data center operations, including on site energy back-up needs, must be met with renewable resources like solar generation paired with battery storage. Investment in renewables must happen to mitigate the water demand of data centers for on-site cooling and at the off-site energy plant that supplies them with power.
Data center developers should also work to be better neighbors and impacts on the broader community, like transmission lines, should be openly addressed. Community benefits agreements can help to balance impacts with the needs of communities.
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The Georgia Water Coalition (GWC) is a coalition of more than 260 conservation organizations, farmers, homeowners and lake associations, business owners, sportsmen’s clubs, professional associations, and religious groups that care about safeguarding Georgia’s water resources.
www.gawater.org
On November 8, 2017, the Georgia Water Coalition released a report on the state of water and agriculture in Georgia. The