As cloud computing and AI surge, data centers are multiplying—and so is their demand for water. In Minnesota, where 61 data centers currently operate, these facilities pose an increasing risk to both water availability and quality.
Key Issues:
🧊 Water-Intensive Cooling: Some centers use up to 5 million gallons of drinking water per day just for cooling.
🔁 Non-Recyclable Use: Water is treated with harsh chemicals, making it unfit for reuse in agriculture or drinking.
📈 Skyrocketing Demand: Between 2021–2022, Microsoft’s water use rose 34%, and Google’s hit 5.56 billion gallons annually.
⚠️ PFAS & Toxins: Cooling systems may release PFAS chemicals, ethylene glycol, and other harmful substances into water systems.
Public Demands:
The article calls on Minnesota lawmakers to:
💵 Tax water usage and require fair corporate taxation.
🧪 Mandate cleaner cooling technologies and public reporting.
🔄 Require full water recycling and carbon-free onsite power generation.
📊 Make annual water usage reports public.
Bottom Line:
Data centers are essential infrastructure—but without smart regulation, they threaten Minnesota’s most precious resource: clean water. Citizens are urged to demand transparency, accountability, and environmental responsibility from tech giants.
🌱 A Water-Smart Solution: How Sprouting Gear Can Help
As AI data centers begin to dominate water usage across the U.S., companies like Sprouting Gear Inc. offer critical tools to help agriculture adapt.
Founded by rancher and agtech innovator Paul Pluss, Sprouting Gear’s hydroponic barley fodder system allows ranchers to grow fresh, nutrient-rich cattle feed using over 95% less water than traditional crops like alfalfa or corn silage.
These vertical, climate-controlled systems eliminate the need for irrigation, tractors, and long-distance trucking—producing feed on-site, even in drought-prone areas. By enabling ranchers to dramatically reduce their water footprint, Sprouting Gear is not only helping agriculture stay competitive—it’s safeguarding America’s food supply in a future where water is becoming the most contested resource.
Source:Clean Water Action – Data Centers: A Threat to Minnesota's Water
