When Beverly Morris retired to Fayette County, Georgia in 2016, she envisioned a tranquil life surrounded by nature. However, her dream has been disrupted by the encroachment of a massive data center nearby, owned by Meta, which has altered her water supply dramatically.
"Just 400 yards from my home is this enormous building filled with servers," says Morris. "I can't drink the water anymore." She attributes the sediment build-up in her private well to the construction activities of the data center. Forced to haul water in buckets for basic needs such as flushing her toilet, Morris worries about the contamination of her tap water i.e., the tap still shows residue despite plumbing repairs.
Meta, however, denies the claims, asserting its operations are not affecting groundwater conditions. The tech giant emphasizes its commitment to being a good neighbor and has commissioned an independent study that supports its stance. "We prioritize community welfare," Meta stated, but for Morris, the situation has made her once-dream home feel unwelcoming.
As data centers proliferate across the U.S. to support AI and cloud services, the hidden costs of this digital infrastructure are becoming apparent. These facilities are not just intangible clouds of data, but large physical entities using significant amounts of water to cool their servers. According to reports, AI-driven centers stand to consume a staggering 1.7 trillion gallons of water globally by 2027.
Georgia, with its humid climate, is particularly attractive to data center developments, but this growth is raising environmental concerns. Local organizations like Flint Riverkeeper advocate for sustainable practices while highlighting sediment and chemical run-offs from construction sites. "It's alarming to see the water quality deteriorate," said Gordon Rogers, executive director of Flint Riverkeeper.
Even while companies like Amazon Web Services pledge to improve water sustainability, industry challenges persist. As a single AI query can equate to the water consumption of a small bottle, the aggregate impact of continuous digital usage is concerning.
While experts like Professor Rajiv Garg from Emory University see data centers as integral to modern life, they stress the importance of adopting long-term strategies to minimize environmental impact—better cooling technology, rainwater management, and more efficient infrastructure are cited as potential solutions.
Despite the promising initiatives from major tech firms and a growing awareness of sustainability challenges, residents like Beverly Morris find themselves caught between their idyllic past and a future of overwhelming infrastructural change. As Georgia continues to attract these tech behemoths, the sociopolitical debate around water rights and environmental stewardship remains pressing.
For locals in Fayette County, the transformation that data centers bring is a constant reminder of the need for balance between technological advancement and the preservation of vital natural resources.
