Iowa Data Centers Guzzle Billions of Gallons of Water, New Report Shows

As the artificial intelligence boom drives explosive growth in data centers across the country, a new report reveals that these massive facilities are consuming staggering amounts of water, with one Google facility in Iowa using a billion gallons in a single year. The findings raise urgent questions about transparency, local water supplies, and the hidden costs of the digital economy for Iowa communities.

According to a 2024 report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, U.S. data centers consumed 17 billion gallons of water directly for cooling in 2023, a figure that could double or even quadruple by 2028. The same report estimates that an additional 211 billion gallons were consumed indirectly through the electricity powering these facilities. But researchers say the real numbers may be even higher, and the public often has no way to know exactly how much water is being used in their own backyards.

In a forthcoming article in the Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal, researchers Peyton McCauley and Melissa Scanlan from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee analyzed public records, government documents, and corporate sustainability reports to uncover the true water demands of data centers. Their findings are particularly striking for Iowa, where Google's data center in Council Bluffs consumed 1 billion gallons of water in 2024 alone, enough to supply all of Iowa's residential water for five days.

How do data centers use water?

Data centers house thousands of servers that generate intense heat. To keep them cool, many facilities use evaporative cooling systems that pump cold water through pipes, absorbing heat and venting steam into the air. This process requires a constant supply of fresh water, and in some communities, data centers can consume over 25% of local water supplies.

Closed-loop systems recirculate water after cooling it with chillers, but these systems use significantly more energy. The exact water and energy trade-offs for individual facilities are rarely made public, leaving communities in the dark about the true impact.

Sustainability reports offer a partial picture

The researchers focused on six major tech companies: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Digital Realty, and Equinix. They found that while sustainability reports provide some insight, the data is inconsistent and incomplete. Amazon does not disclose water use at all, Microsoft lumps data centers into overall operations, and Meta only provides a companywide aggregate. Google is the most transparent, offering individual figures for each data center.

Google's 2024 report shows that its Council Bluffs facility consumed more water than any other Google data center worldwide, using 1 billion gallons. In contrast, an air-cooled facility in Pflugerville, Texas, used just 10,000 gallons, about what a single Texas home uses in two months. The stark difference highlights how cooling technology choices dramatically affect water consumption.

What does this mean for Iowa?

Iowa has become a hub for data centers, drawn by land availability, energy infrastructure, and tax incentives. But the water demands of these facilities compete with residential, agricultural, and industrial needs. As the industry expands, local officials and residents are left making decisions without complete information about the environmental and economic trade-offs.

Governor Kim Reynolds and state lawmakers have championed data center growth as an economic win, and the industry does bring jobs and investment. However, the lack of consistent, transparent water reporting means Iowa communities may be sacrificing a precious resource without fully understanding the long-term consequences.

Experts call for transparency and accountability

McCauley and Scanlan argue that without standardized reporting requirements, the public and government officials cannot make informed decisions about data center siting, water usage, and environmental protections. They call for mandatory disclosure of both direct and indirect water consumption, as well as details on cooling technology and facility size.

“Given society's growing interest in AI, the data center industry will likely continue its rapid expansion,” the researchers wrote. “But without a consistent and transparent way to track water consumption over time, the public and government officials will be making decisions about locations, regulations and sustainability without complete information.”

For Iowa, the stakes are high. The state's agricultural economy and communities depend on reliable water supplies. As data centers multiply, the question is not just about jobs and tax revenue, but about whether the state is trading away its most vital resource for a digital future that may not be sustainable.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. It was written by Peyton McCauley and Melissa Scanlan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in, or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.