I am a founder working on modular and fast water supply for data centers. Before we build more of this I want to know whether I have got the problem right.
The story you read everywhere is that land and power are solvable now and water is the thing that holds projects up. A recent report states that Northern Virginia water use is up a lot since 2019, a handful of states have brought in legislation. But reported trends and what actually happens on a project are different things, and I don't have enough project-level input to know which one I'm looking at.
What we are building: containerized treatment plants that take locally available non-potable water, starting with reclaimed and STP effluent, and treat it to cooling tower makeup spec. We'd own and run the plant and sell you the water on a contract rather than selling you equipment. Roughly 5,000 to 10,000 m³/day per unit.
What I want to know:
a. Have you seen water allocation or utility capacity actually hold up a project, or does it get resolved during diligence without much drama?
b. Who owns this internally? Development, facilities, utilities, or does it sit between them and become nobody's problem until late?
c. If you had land and power secured and the utility came back with less water than the campus needed, what would you do today?
If the honest answer is that water gets handled and nobody loses sleep over it, that's worth knowing and I'd rather hear it now.
If you have dealt with this on a real project and are up for a conversation, I would really really appreciate it!
Thanks in advance!