Many thanks, Erin, for this investigative journalism that we'll NEVER see from the MSM. We have 5,400 Data Centers already in the US, each requiring at least 50MW of electrical energy DAILY on ave. and 1-5 million galloons of water DAILY for evaporative cooling, leaving a toxic sludge to get rid of. The part almost no-one mentions is the 4,000,000,000 BTUs of waste heat generated DAILY that creates "heat islands" around them with temp's 15 degF higher than the surrounds. As for the AI generated from these monsters, we now have a nation more devoted to online gambling and automated warfare than reading, and our utter failure to think critically, which brought us the Mad King Donald the 1st and his merry fraudsters. "The Heat Will Kill you First". Jeff Goodell, 2023, and a Super El Nino already beginning. God help us!
Thank you for this update on the water situation around the US. It seems that the public is intentionally supposed to be the last party to know what's happening/has happened to their water supply. Ignorance is not bliss, however. This situation where greed of the billionaires is put before the needs of the people must be addressed immediately.
This us what happens when People, Community, the Commons, the Environment or Life itself stand in the way of Business. This AI development process is totally unneeded "Progress" that must be curtailed if humans are ever going to live in harmony with this planet.
I'm usually hesitant to post anything anymore. I live in Phoenix AZ USA. I began to follow the water situation here back in 2010. I began to attend meetings at various levels that were open to the public. I switched careers from IT to hydrology to work within the industry in hopes of moving the needle. In 2019 I attended a meeting on 'sustainable growth' with the city of Phoenix and the local university. I usually keep quiet but this time I spoke up. I told them that the growth wasn't 'sustainable' and that I left IT to try to 'make a difference' in the industry. Data centers do not employ many people after build out and use massive amounts of water. Which made no sense in a desert. The leaders of the city water department and others on the panel laughed at me and suggested maybe we should build less data centers. I replied 'yes'. They dismissed me. I was the last person to speak and they thanked everyone 'but the last person'. I left, knowing they did not care. They were addicted to growth. My health nose dived a few years later from the stress of trying to educate and 'push' and I ended up leaving the industry.
They see people as obstacles, not as those to serve. The only people that matter are those with money.
Thank you for posting this article. I subscribed as a result. I hope to see more from you.
In Alaska 30 years ago I cross-country skied under the Aurora Borealis and walked on a glacier with spiked boots.
An Internet friend went there recently and told me half of the glacier is gone. Where did the water go?
A one degree rise in the average world temperature raises the ocean level six feet. Since the 1970 climate change study the oceans have risen 12 feet. The coastline floods while inland drys out. When I went to Lagos, Nigeria half the city was underwater and inland the tribes were fighting over the only local spring water.
The data centers take the water and the local citizens turn on the faucet and get a trickle. And the water companies raise their water bill. Keep up the good work.
I made a typo. Since the 1970s the ocean has risen 12 feet. The New Orleans dike was built in the 1970s 15 feet high. When Katrina hit the storm surge went over the dike and flooded the city. LTG Honore' was brought out of retirement and put in charge of the military response to the clean up. He was an expert in logistics. Honore' is a Louisiana Cajun with a mouth that would make a bull alligator blush when dressing down his officers when they screwed up. He never did that to his soldiers. I witnessed this many times. I was his Division training NCO in Korea.
I don't think that's going to happen. It's about as likely as my Cincinnati Reds making the playoffs, which is currently 2%. But they just won today, so there is hope.
“So you're telling me there's a chance.”
Jim Carrey in “Dumb and Dumber” (1994) after being told that the chance of his crush going out with him was one in a million.
We found out the Stack AI Hayward 76.6 megawatt data center that was approved and now being constructed next to critical wildlife habitat corridor of the San Francisco Bay is using our pure potable water that supplies San Francisco Bay Area: the Hetch Hetchy.
The City of Hayward is different than other cities, in that it sources 100% of its municipal drinking water directly from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) regional system, meaning most of it is pristine Sierra Nevada snowmelt (Hetch Hetchy) rather than local groundwater or blended delta supplies.
Why Hetch Hetchy potable drinking water? It is exceptionally "soft" and contains very low levels of dissolved minerals and total dissolved solids (TDS) Hetch Hetchy water is exceptionally pure, it is disinfected but does not require standard filtration, a rare exemption granted by the EPA and Ultra-pure, low-TDS water lowers the chemical wear and tear on specialized heat exchangers and cooling loops.
Clean pure water extends equipment life, but it is also critical to our life and to many people in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are often categorized as having droughts and needing to conserve water.
P.S. Yes, the Stack data center was approved with no public vote, and next to threatened and endangered wildlife at Eden Landing, and would this effect the Flyway of the Pacific Coast that goes from Alaska to South America, because Eden Landing is a critical nesting area?
Peter Thiel, Vance, Leonard Leo, Opus Dei, corrupted SCOTUS are all involved -- enabled by the City of London Corporation's Tax Havens of criminal Dark Money bribing influence secretly to harvest massive, illegal profits from insane investments in wasteful AGI data centers under the passive lack of vigilance by federal & state legislators and too many of the judiciary.
Thank you Erin for the excellent work you do. As of 8/7/26, the Board of County Commissioners for Lyon County Nevada have APPROVED by a vote 3-1, to advance the Monarch Data Center. As expected, there was massive citizen opposition to it.
Money from tax payers is not being spent well by government. They have a fiduciary responsibility to be accountable. For too long and very often the accounting is not transparent. Trumps DOGE, well what a joke, Executive Orders at an all time high and should have a cap. Pardons are a travesty to the country and victims for convicted criminals to be pardoned. Pardons should be done away with. Trump if he has done anything is to open up a serious policy for reduction in presidential power, also no lifetime appointments, including the United States Supreme Court. Mitch McConnell has opened up the policy for retirement age for all Congress members. He has home health care givers and salaried employees including himself. This is not what being at work means.
I’m not in the area this article describes, but I see how this can effect everyone across our country regarding these data centers. I reside in the northwest burbs of Chicago and we have a big lake. I have heard that these data centers are being built in all the surrounding states.
Just recently I passed a new data center just being built where in the 90’s sears had bought the property to move from the sears building in Chicago. In meeting in early 2000’s I was attending a school board meeting and the TIF property tax breaks were being discussed for community residents impacted. Of course our property taxes increased yet not to benefit teachers. I thought it was more like to help the corporation build their sites out. I still think that.
Back to this data center being built. It has six large buildings, hooked up to a gas line. Also has its own sub station for electric. I did call the city who gave the permits ands asked if any studies were given. I was told to look at the meeting minutes along with the impact statement. So I will be doing that.
All that said the only experience I have is in the building trades. I’m an old retired guy not so good on the computer though I am figuring it out. Any pointers will be much appreciated. My mindset is these private equity firms care nothing about anything just how much money they will make. I need to do something. I can’t sit and watch everything go south for all the youngers. Just trying to get pointers. Really really concerned. With the overturning of the Chevron decision I would hate to see a corrupt judge go against the well being of any community. I do think Illinois needs a more aggressive AG. He has been doing just ok in my mind.
Point is what do I do with all the info that I’ll be getting. Besides post on a bluesky account ant let my state reps know they need to act. And be relentless in my demands. Thank you all here for caring for our public lands, ecology hoping it betters the environment.
Many thanks, Erin, for this investigative journalism that we'll NEVER see from the MSM. We have 5,400 Data Centers already in the US, each requiring at least 50MW of electrical energy DAILY on ave. and 1-5 million galloons of water DAILY for evaporative cooling, leaving a toxic sludge to get rid of. The part almost no-one mentions is the 4,000,000,000 BTUs of waste heat generated DAILY that creates "heat islands" around them with temp's 15 degF higher than the surrounds. As for the AI generated from these monsters, we now have a nation more devoted to online gambling and automated warfare than reading, and our utter failure to think critically, which brought us the Mad King Donald the 1st and his merry fraudsters. "The Heat Will Kill you First". Jeff Goodell, 2023, and a Super El Nino already beginning. God help us!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q30pQppZiAk
Thanks for your reply, but that bus has already left the station.
Thank you for this update on the water situation around the US. It seems that the public is intentionally supposed to be the last party to know what's happening/has happened to their water supply. Ignorance is not bliss, however. This situation where greed of the billionaires is put before the needs of the people must be addressed immediately.
We are fighting this in Canada and appreciate all that you are doing to help us to do that!
This us what happens when People, Community, the Commons, the Environment or Life itself stand in the way of Business. This AI development process is totally unneeded "Progress" that must be curtailed if humans are ever going to live in harmony with this planet.
Texas halts #data center connections to power grid amid overwhelming demand: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/08/texas-halts-data-center-connections-to-power-grid-amid-overwhelming-demand/
I'm usually hesitant to post anything anymore. I live in Phoenix AZ USA. I began to follow the water situation here back in 2010. I began to attend meetings at various levels that were open to the public. I switched careers from IT to hydrology to work within the industry in hopes of moving the needle. In 2019 I attended a meeting on 'sustainable growth' with the city of Phoenix and the local university. I usually keep quiet but this time I spoke up. I told them that the growth wasn't 'sustainable' and that I left IT to try to 'make a difference' in the industry. Data centers do not employ many people after build out and use massive amounts of water. Which made no sense in a desert. The leaders of the city water department and others on the panel laughed at me and suggested maybe we should build less data centers. I replied 'yes'. They dismissed me. I was the last person to speak and they thanked everyone 'but the last person'. I left, knowing they did not care. They were addicted to growth. My health nose dived a few years later from the stress of trying to educate and 'push' and I ended up leaving the industry.
They see people as obstacles, not as those to serve. The only people that matter are those with money.
Thank you for posting this article. I subscribed as a result. I hope to see more from you.
In Alaska 30 years ago I cross-country skied under the Aurora Borealis and walked on a glacier with spiked boots.
An Internet friend went there recently and told me half of the glacier is gone. Where did the water go?
A one degree rise in the average world temperature raises the ocean level six feet. Since the 1970 climate change study the oceans have risen 12 feet. The coastline floods while inland drys out. When I went to Lagos, Nigeria half the city was underwater and inland the tribes were fighting over the only local spring water.
The data centers take the water and the local citizens turn on the faucet and get a trickle. And the water companies raise their water bill. Keep up the good work.
I made a typo. Since the 1970s the ocean has risen 12 feet. The New Orleans dike was built in the 1970s 15 feet high. When Katrina hit the storm surge went over the dike and flooded the city. LTG Honore' was brought out of retirement and put in charge of the military response to the clean up. He was an expert in logistics. Honore' is a Louisiana Cajun with a mouth that would make a bull alligator blush when dressing down his officers when they screwed up. He never did that to his soldiers. I witnessed this many times. I was his Division training NCO in Korea.
Erin, well done. Water is being weaponized to control humanity. Climate change is the headline, weather control is the fine print.
Why do data centers need fresh water daily when recycling and other coolants can be used ?
At the end of last week's post, we talked about closed-loop systems. https://www.thebrockovichreport.com/p/the-data-center-water-secret
Thank you for that, greatly appreciated.
Hopefully, AI data centers will go the way the dot.com companies did. Sooner rather than later.
I was just talking with Kara Swisher about this! Episode coming out soon.
I don't think that's going to happen. It's about as likely as my Cincinnati Reds making the playoffs, which is currently 2%. But they just won today, so there is hope.
“So you're telling me there's a chance.”
Jim Carrey in “Dumb and Dumber” (1994) after being told that the chance of his crush going out with him was one in a million.
We found out the Stack AI Hayward 76.6 megawatt data center that was approved and now being constructed next to critical wildlife habitat corridor of the San Francisco Bay is using our pure potable water that supplies San Francisco Bay Area: the Hetch Hetchy.
The City of Hayward is different than other cities, in that it sources 100% of its municipal drinking water directly from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) regional system, meaning most of it is pristine Sierra Nevada snowmelt (Hetch Hetchy) rather than local groundwater or blended delta supplies.
Why Hetch Hetchy potable drinking water? It is exceptionally "soft" and contains very low levels of dissolved minerals and total dissolved solids (TDS) Hetch Hetchy water is exceptionally pure, it is disinfected but does not require standard filtration, a rare exemption granted by the EPA and Ultra-pure, low-TDS water lowers the chemical wear and tear on specialized heat exchangers and cooling loops.
Clean pure water extends equipment life, but it is also critical to our life and to many people in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are often categorized as having droughts and needing to conserve water.
P.S. Yes, the Stack data center was approved with no public vote, and next to threatened and endangered wildlife at Eden Landing, and would this effect the Flyway of the Pacific Coast that goes from Alaska to South America, because Eden Landing is a critical nesting area?
Would diverting local water to cool a data center mean nearby wetlands to dry up or become excessively salty, killing off the underlying invertebrate populations that migratory shorebirds rely on to refuel? https://cwalocals.org/9412/news/stop-eden-landing-data-center-protect-haywards-water-power-and-air
Peter Thiel, Vance, Leonard Leo, Opus Dei, corrupted SCOTUS are all involved -- enabled by the City of London Corporation's Tax Havens of criminal Dark Money bribing influence secretly to harvest massive, illegal profits from insane investments in wasteful AGI data centers under the passive lack of vigilance by federal & state legislators and too many of the judiciary.
Much now depends on informed midterm elections.
You know I first saw the movie based on you back when I was in high school (early 2000s), and since then I have followed your subsequent work!
Thank you Erin for the excellent work you do. As of 8/7/26, the Board of County Commissioners for Lyon County Nevada have APPROVED by a vote 3-1, to advance the Monarch Data Center. As expected, there was massive citizen opposition to it.
We need to work together to pass a constitutional amendment for humanly safe & clean drinking water.
We have the Safe Water Drinking Act, what we need is the will to ENFORCE it. https://www.epa.gov/sdwa
The amendment will allow us to outright ban entities that consume too much water. I.E DATA CENTERS
Money from tax payers is not being spent well by government. They have a fiduciary responsibility to be accountable. For too long and very often the accounting is not transparent. Trumps DOGE, well what a joke, Executive Orders at an all time high and should have a cap. Pardons are a travesty to the country and victims for convicted criminals to be pardoned. Pardons should be done away with. Trump if he has done anything is to open up a serious policy for reduction in presidential power, also no lifetime appointments, including the United States Supreme Court. Mitch McConnell has opened up the policy for retirement age for all Congress members. He has home health care givers and salaried employees including himself. This is not what being at work means.
I’m not in the area this article describes, but I see how this can effect everyone across our country regarding these data centers. I reside in the northwest burbs of Chicago and we have a big lake. I have heard that these data centers are being built in all the surrounding states.
Just recently I passed a new data center just being built where in the 90’s sears had bought the property to move from the sears building in Chicago. In meeting in early 2000’s I was attending a school board meeting and the TIF property tax breaks were being discussed for community residents impacted. Of course our property taxes increased yet not to benefit teachers. I thought it was more like to help the corporation build their sites out. I still think that.
Back to this data center being built. It has six large buildings, hooked up to a gas line. Also has its own sub station for electric. I did call the city who gave the permits ands asked if any studies were given. I was told to look at the meeting minutes along with the impact statement. So I will be doing that.
All that said the only experience I have is in the building trades. I’m an old retired guy not so good on the computer though I am figuring it out. Any pointers will be much appreciated. My mindset is these private equity firms care nothing about anything just how much money they will make. I need to do something. I can’t sit and watch everything go south for all the youngers. Just trying to get pointers. Really really concerned. With the overturning of the Chevron decision I would hate to see a corrupt judge go against the well being of any community. I do think Illinois needs a more aggressive AG. He has been doing just ok in my mind.
Point is what do I do with all the info that I’ll be getting. Besides post on a bluesky account ant let my state reps know they need to act. And be relentless in my demands. Thank you all here for caring for our public lands, ecology hoping it betters the environment.