Water Woes: Georgia Residents Confront Challenges of Nearby Data Centers

Sat Oct 18 2025 01:14:57 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As data centers surge in Georgia, residents like Beverly Morris face water quality issues, raising concerns about local resources and infrastructure.

In Fayette County, Georgia, Beverly Morris grapples with significant water quality problems attributed to a nearby data center owned by Meta. Despite claims from Meta denying responsibility, the influx of data centers in the region poses challenges, not just for Morris, but for many residents dealing with water usage and pollution concerns.

Beverly Morris, a retired resident of Fayette County, Georgia, once relished the tranquility of her rural home. However, her idyllic life was turned upside down when a large data center, operated by Meta, was built just 400 yards from her property. Today, she expresses her frustration, stating, "I can't live in my home with half of my home functioning and no water." Morris insists that sediment buildup in her well water has led her to resort to hauling water in buckets to flush her toilet.

Morris's concerns about the quality of her water appear validated by her experience; she claims that the water from her tap contains a residue that raises fears about its safety for drinking and cooking. However, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, insists that its operations are not linked to Morris's water issues, stating it prioritizes being "a good neighbour." The tech giant commissioned an independent study which concluded that their data center operations do not harm local groundwater.

This local conflict underscores a broader issue as data centers proliferate across the United States, particularly in Georgia, where the demand for tech infrastructure is rising sharply. The state's humid climate offers a cost-effective solution for cooling these facilities, yet this demand raises alarms about water consumption and pollution.

Mark Mills from the National Center for Energy Analytics highlighted the troubling reality of data centers' water usage, noting that advanced processors generate intense heat that necessitates significant cooling, often leading to a consumption of millions of gallons of water per facility. Reports estimate that the increasing number of AI-driven data centers could consume approximately 1.7 trillion gallons of water worldwide by 2027.

As a result, local residents have started to mobilize against the rapid expansion of data centers. Data Center Watch, a pressure group, reports that there are currently $64 billion worth of projects delayed or blocked across the nation due to resident activism. Many locals express concerns over not just water quality but the broader environmental impact of data centers.

The tension between the operational needs of data centers and the rights of local residents highlights a growing need for collaboration on water usage practices. Companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS) are acknowledging the issue and aim to implement sustainable practices, with goals to return more water than they consume by 2030.

Across Georgia's rural landscapes, enthusiastic development is coupled with growing resistance from communities like Morris’s, who are left to deal with unexpected consequences of new technologies. Morris reflects on her once-cherished home, lamenting, "This was my perfect spot. But it isn't anymore." As data centers continue to transform the landscape, the pressing question remains: how to balance technological advancement with the preservation of essential local resources like water.