We really can not AFFORD to have data centers use our water! I just read another report that says the Gunnison river may be dry by October! This has to STOP!
I believe the only thing to do now is NOT allow DCs. There needs to be a ban on NEW DCs and some sort of "watch" on resources used by existing ones.
The owners/developers keep talking about how technology will develop so resource needs will drop significantly. Well, those innovations need to come before any new DCs.
Doing what we've been doing will literally place the world in a huge Tragedy of the Commons situation. It's suicidal.
I live in California, not Arizona, but I know a large amount of the water that is used by metropolitan Tucson/Pima County and Phoenix/Maricopa County is delivered by the Central Arizona Project, Colorado River Water. The proposed Tucson data center in one disclosure stated they would use reclaimed water for cooling. A large portion of Arizona’s electricity is generated by the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant, located west of Phoenix which uses reclaimed sewage water from metropolitan Phoenix. Where does this reclaimed water, municipal treated sewage, agricultural ground water not lost to transpiration come from? It’s not magic water from the ground that appears from nowhere, it’s Colorado River water. When the source of that water is limited, so is the electric power, so is the data center cooling. Connect the dots upstream.
It is remarkable how often communities are expected to react to decisions after they’ve already been made, rather than being meaningfully included before them. The Tucson story is such a strong example of what can happen when people have access to information, organize around it, and keep showing up.
I’m interested in the community-engagement side of this work—helping turn issues like these into something people can understand, organize around, and act on. For those already doing this work, what’s the best way for someone with a background in operations, partnerships, and community engagement to get more directly involved?
I contacted our representative with your AI Data Center information and told her to take a good look. The attitude of our government officials... focusing on the money without looking at the long term problems being set up. For 65 years, I have been into health research...and the government's promotion of the Medical Industry and the Food Industry has put America behind the Eight Ball. America used to be #1 in World health.. Now, we are in 47th place. Americans spend more on medicine and medical treatment than any other country in the world with the worst results. Almost every American is taking one or more drugs daily. More infants die on their first day of life in America than in Third World Countries..Americans are now classified as the fattest in the world.. The Drugs and vaccines have lowered the physical and mental health of every recipient over the last 75 years. The world was a far different place in the 1940s, before people started going for regular medical care, getting drugs and vaccines. People were healthier and not obese, because money was more limited and they didn't eat as much; or eat out. The promotion of the medical Industry and the Processed Food industry is responsible for lowering the health of Americans...
I note that many of these articles on data centers indicate local officials - planning departments, city councils, county commissioners, water district officials have signed NDA’s when negotiating with developers, especially with developers of data centers. These are government officials, either elected or appointed by officials the people have elected, that are betraying the trust but in them by the people, by negotiating in secret and hiding behind NDA’s. Public officials signing NDA’s should be banned.
I am from Europe, but I think the work you’re doing is at the forefront of people’s fight against oligarchs.
This planet, the resources it contains are finite. There is no other planet.
The water, the soil, the air are being destroyed, polluted and burned.
Clean water, clean air, bees, birds and trees are more important to us than data centres!
I read an interesting sentence the other day “why are people worried and fighting for clean water called activists, and corporations guilty of polluting the earth not called terrorists?”
It should be normal to fight for a clean world, and not normal to accept corporations to destroy our planet!
They should be the criminals for destroying our planet!
but one of the big problems with data centers (dcs) we supposedly "need" is something most people know nothing about.
It is called INFRASOUND - the pressure-waves of inaudible sound - below 20 Hz - that dcs pump out, probably constantly once fully operational.
These pressure waves have serious physical and mental health repercussions for anyone living nearby, and are nearly impossible to mitigate.
Infrasound may end up being the most consequential of all issues arising from massive data centers built near us. i think tptb are hoping we plebians won't notice until it is too late.
if you're interested, check out this video presentation by Mariana Alves-Pereira, PhD, biomedical engineer who has been studying infrasound since the 1980s.
She explains (in easily understood terms) the physics of these inaudible pressure waves and their serious health implications - and also the reason why infrasound is almost impossible to mitigate.
I've seen this in the past 18 mos reported out by different tech writers and quoting people in the tech industry about the obsolete platform the data centers are supposedly being built to support, that the same level of processing happening on a city block is already able to be done in a mini format. I don't understand technology but I can certainly follow a basic conceptual argument about this and obsolete technology wouldn't be a surprise here. These companies have zero skin in the game and the person who repealed Bidens AI orders is so brain addled and greedy, any other path forward will not get a clear and fair betting in the public space or the press. The fight will take everything we have and according to this, there shouldn't even be a fight over this. The billion dollar companies should be reinvesting their stock buybacks and their inflated gross profits and extreme c-suite payouts into their architecture before asking for another dime from the US gvmt or the taxpayers. It's gross negligence on the part of Congress and state and local officials for any of this to be happening.
Many data centers rely on large volumes of water for cooling.
While newer technologies are reducing water consumption in some facilities, many proposed projects still require millions of gallons of water annually.
In communities already concerned about drought, agricultural needs, or population growth, residents are asking whether local water resources can sustain additional industrial demand. Water is more than an environmental issue. It is a public health issue.
Stop data centers. When the severe water shortage arrives, and push comes to shove, will the people get drinking water and agriculture water OR will the Data Centers get their water first?
It is obvious that the DATA CENTER OLIGARCHS have been pushing this initiative in secret for many years. Treading in the back rooms and convincing local governments to approve these projects behind NDAs. They were pulling one over on the Nation. And they built lots of them before people found out about them.
Federal, state, and local governments were suckered into approving these things. Shoot, PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSIONS should have taken note of the huge demand for almost immediate power plant expansion. Plus the grid will need almost immediate upgrades! And the public rate payers will subsidize the Data Centers.
The OLIGARCHS did a number on America. They gotta be held accountable for their subterfuge. And politicians who enabled this disaster must also be held accountable. At least get kicked out of office. Did anyone take a bribe?
Last comment: how many DATA CENTERS will be dependent upon pumped ground water? Ground water is not an infinite source of water. Many uses of ground water are pumping beyond the recharge rate. The recharge is when surface water, like rain and snow, soaks into the ground and replaces what water has been pumped. When over pumped the aquifer can be damaged and eventually, the wells go dry.
We really can not AFFORD to have data centers use our water! I just read another report that says the Gunnison river may be dry by October! This has to STOP!
Climate change as well.
I believe the only thing to do now is NOT allow DCs. There needs to be a ban on NEW DCs and some sort of "watch" on resources used by existing ones.
The owners/developers keep talking about how technology will develop so resource needs will drop significantly. Well, those innovations need to come before any new DCs.
Doing what we've been doing will literally place the world in a huge Tragedy of the Commons situation. It's suicidal.
So happy it’s back. And have been waiting for it. Thank you for this. Great job. And thank you for speaking out on stuff like this.
I live in California, not Arizona, but I know a large amount of the water that is used by metropolitan Tucson/Pima County and Phoenix/Maricopa County is delivered by the Central Arizona Project, Colorado River Water. The proposed Tucson data center in one disclosure stated they would use reclaimed water for cooling. A large portion of Arizona’s electricity is generated by the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant, located west of Phoenix which uses reclaimed sewage water from metropolitan Phoenix. Where does this reclaimed water, municipal treated sewage, agricultural ground water not lost to transpiration come from? It’s not magic water from the ground that appears from nowhere, it’s Colorado River water. When the source of that water is limited, so is the electric power, so is the data center cooling. Connect the dots upstream.
I think that DOI believes that some lands have no use. Oh? What about the wildlife that lives there. burgum doesn’t care
It is remarkable how often communities are expected to react to decisions after they’ve already been made, rather than being meaningfully included before them. The Tucson story is such a strong example of what can happen when people have access to information, organize around it, and keep showing up.
I’m interested in the community-engagement side of this work—helping turn issues like these into something people can understand, organize around, and act on. For those already doing this work, what’s the best way for someone with a background in operations, partnerships, and community engagement to get more directly involved?
I contacted our representative with your AI Data Center information and told her to take a good look. The attitude of our government officials... focusing on the money without looking at the long term problems being set up. For 65 years, I have been into health research...and the government's promotion of the Medical Industry and the Food Industry has put America behind the Eight Ball. America used to be #1 in World health.. Now, we are in 47th place. Americans spend more on medicine and medical treatment than any other country in the world with the worst results. Almost every American is taking one or more drugs daily. More infants die on their first day of life in America than in Third World Countries..Americans are now classified as the fattest in the world.. The Drugs and vaccines have lowered the physical and mental health of every recipient over the last 75 years. The world was a far different place in the 1940s, before people started going for regular medical care, getting drugs and vaccines. People were healthier and not obese, because money was more limited and they didn't eat as much; or eat out. The promotion of the medical Industry and the Processed Food industry is responsible for lowering the health of Americans...
What am I missing? This huge surge and race for DC's everywhere.? Intuitively it seems there is so much more here than meets the EYE.
This is not just some race to have the first Self-Improving-AI? Frankenstein? These are crazy, crazy times.
The Brockovich Report! So thankful for you!
I note that many of these articles on data centers indicate local officials - planning departments, city councils, county commissioners, water district officials have signed NDA’s when negotiating with developers, especially with developers of data centers. These are government officials, either elected or appointed by officials the people have elected, that are betraying the trust but in them by the people, by negotiating in secret and hiding behind NDA’s. Public officials signing NDA’s should be banned.
absolutely. disgraceful.
I am from Europe, but I think the work you’re doing is at the forefront of people’s fight against oligarchs.
This planet, the resources it contains are finite. There is no other planet.
The water, the soil, the air are being destroyed, polluted and burned.
Clean water, clean air, bees, birds and trees are more important to us than data centres!
I read an interesting sentence the other day “why are people worried and fighting for clean water called activists, and corporations guilty of polluting the earth not called terrorists?”
It should be normal to fight for a clean world, and not normal to accept corporations to destroy our planet!
They should be the criminals for destroying our planet!
Thank you for your work 🙏
of course the water situation is critical.
but one of the big problems with data centers (dcs) we supposedly "need" is something most people know nothing about.
It is called INFRASOUND - the pressure-waves of inaudible sound - below 20 Hz - that dcs pump out, probably constantly once fully operational.
These pressure waves have serious physical and mental health repercussions for anyone living nearby, and are nearly impossible to mitigate.
Infrasound may end up being the most consequential of all issues arising from massive data centers built near us. i think tptb are hoping we plebians won't notice until it is too late.
if you're interested, check out this video presentation by Mariana Alves-Pereira, PhD, biomedical engineer who has been studying infrasound since the 1980s.
She explains (in easily understood terms) the physics of these inaudible pressure waves and their serious health implications - and also the reason why infrasound is almost impossible to mitigate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q7rgDH8M8s
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1dEgmTe2Aa/
I've seen this in the past 18 mos reported out by different tech writers and quoting people in the tech industry about the obsolete platform the data centers are supposedly being built to support, that the same level of processing happening on a city block is already able to be done in a mini format. I don't understand technology but I can certainly follow a basic conceptual argument about this and obsolete technology wouldn't be a surprise here. These companies have zero skin in the game and the person who repealed Bidens AI orders is so brain addled and greedy, any other path forward will not get a clear and fair betting in the public space or the press. The fight will take everything we have and according to this, there shouldn't even be a fight over this. The billion dollar companies should be reinvesting their stock buybacks and their inflated gross profits and extreme c-suite payouts into their architecture before asking for another dime from the US gvmt or the taxpayers. It's gross negligence on the part of Congress and state and local officials for any of this to be happening.
New York uses the Shokan Resevoir upstate for its water.
Agreed. Conserving water from these sources from data centers is imperative.
Doesn't the Colorado River have some sort of political agreement about it's use ?
Electricity is only part of the equation.
Servers generate tremendous heat, requiring sophisticated cooling systems.
Many data centers rely on large volumes of water for cooling.
While newer technologies are reducing water consumption in some facilities, many proposed projects still require millions of gallons of water annually.
In communities already concerned about drought, agricultural needs, or population growth, residents are asking whether local water resources can sustain additional industrial demand. Water is more than an environmental issue. It is a public health issue.
Stop data centers. Bet, when push comes to shove, will the people get drinking water and agriculture water OR
Stop data centers. When the severe water shortage arrives, and push comes to shove, will the people get drinking water and agriculture water OR will the Data Centers get their water first?
It is obvious that the DATA CENTER OLIGARCHS have been pushing this initiative in secret for many years. Treading in the back rooms and convincing local governments to approve these projects behind NDAs. They were pulling one over on the Nation. And they built lots of them before people found out about them.
Federal, state, and local governments were suckered into approving these things. Shoot, PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSIONS should have taken note of the huge demand for almost immediate power plant expansion. Plus the grid will need almost immediate upgrades! And the public rate payers will subsidize the Data Centers.
The OLIGARCHS did a number on America. They gotta be held accountable for their subterfuge. And politicians who enabled this disaster must also be held accountable. At least get kicked out of office. Did anyone take a bribe?
Last comment: how many DATA CENTERS will be dependent upon pumped ground water? Ground water is not an infinite source of water. Many uses of ground water are pumping beyond the recharge rate. The recharge is when surface water, like rain and snow, soaks into the ground and replaces what water has been pumped. When over pumped the aquifer can be damaged and eventually, the wells go dry.