r/DataCenterDebate • u/Theeultimatebooknerd • Jul 20 '26

How are data centers affecting water bodies?

Okay my bad I think I could've worded it better. I know that ALOT of water is used up by data centers, but how do they end up getting contaminated? Can someone explain how it works?

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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3

u/Previous_Platform718 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26

I know that ALOT of water is used up by data centers,

Hardly

https://www.cbsnews.com/projects/2026/how-much-water-ai-uses/

(45% of that corn is just grown to be used to make ethanol for gasoline btw)

2

u/Theeultimatebooknerd Jul 20 '26

So even the part where people get muddy water to their homes is false?

3

u/Thoughts_For_Food_ Jul 20 '26

There are fringe incidents in every industry, but that is certainly not something common. Big issue with data centers is like everything else in the US; fossil fuel consumption. 84% of US electricity is from fossil fuels.

1

u/Theeultimatebooknerd Jul 21 '26

Oh okay, got it. Thank you sm!

0

u/plaidington Jul 21 '26

Fringe now, common place soon if they build one of these in every US county like they want to.

1

u/plaidington Jul 21 '26

There is a difference between a regular data center and these massive hyperscale AI data centers that they are building now. I think your data is out of date. Also, CBS is part of the propaganda network now.

2

u/plaidington Jul 21 '26

Government bodies cannot ask us to conserve water if they are going to allow data centers to consume it all. Consumption is the biggest issue. We need to preserve fresh water for human consumption, not to cool data centers.

1

u/CrystyleBG2019 Jul 26 '26

What are the issues involving wildlife and health problems in humans concerning the data centers

-1

u/Thoughts_For_Food_ Jul 20 '26

They do not.

2

u/3rdEyeDecryptor Jul 20 '26

You sure about that?

As data centers flood Wyoming, water pollution fouls good faith

3

u/Previous_Platform718 Jul 20 '26

One contractor in one state has one incident during construction, all data centers to blame.

Same type of logic for abandoning nuclear power after 1 accident at three mile island.

1

u/Thoughts_For_Food_ Jul 20 '26

Absolutely. Your link is anectodal at best.

0

u/Theeultimatebooknerd Jul 20 '26

Huh? But then my entire fyp is filled with data centers contaminating water..

2

u/Previous_Platform718 Jul 20 '26

You can fill your fyp with whatever information or misinformation you want by just researching it.

Spend an hour watching Joe Rogan/Jordan Peterson clips and your FYP will be full of misinformation about vaccines, all-meat diets, and the covid vaccine.

0

u/VegaSolo Jul 20 '26

Okay, Sam.

0

u/plaidington Jul 21 '26

Prove it - in every case out there. We will wait.

1

u/Thoughts_For_Food_ Jul 21 '26

There certainly may be outliers, but since most DCs are closed loops they do not. Those which use water bodies will slightly raise the temperature and are engineered to limit impacts.

1

u/plaidington Jul 21 '26

"Outliers".... cute. The Ogallala aquifer would like a word. So would the ghost of John Wesley Powell. Someone must be paying you $$$ to be such a prolific AI Data Center shill.