Around the Valley and country, construction of data centers is on the rise as people continue to rely on and have a need for cloud-based storage options among other digital data services; but especially here in Arizona, there’s concern for whether such massive projects are environmentally feasible with a steadily growing population and an uncertain supply of water.
Over the past few years, more and more technology companies, like Apple, Google and Meta, have eyed Arizona as a destination for data centers. With ample land and a relatively stable climate, it makes the desert landscape an appealing choice for projects of this nature that require reliable and predictable weather patterns.
However, with their construction comes a cost to the water supply as data centers require a significant amount of water in order to maintain and keep the machines cool and functioning — not to mention the potential impacts on surrounding natural environments. In a report from NBC, it was stated that a typical data center can use up to 5 million gallons of water a day.
