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Last Update: 09/19/2026 at 11:34 PM EST
Virginia’s Water Limits Data Centers
Coverage from Virginia Mercury, Cardinal News, and others
Virginia’s expanding data center pipeline is drawing scrutiny because some facilities require substantial water for cooling while groundwater supplies, particularly in the eastern Coastal Plain, are projected to decline.
Google’s proposed Botetourt County complex illustrates the scale of concern, with reported contracted demand of up to 2 million gallons per day and a possible future increase to 8 million. A delayed Virginia groundwater study recommends stronger authority to reject unsustainable withdrawals and require alternatives such as surface water or reuse, while residents and local officials debate the cumulative effects of new campuses.
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09/06/2026
The story now adds a statewide scale signal: data centers used about 2.1 billion gallons in 2023 even as overall withdrawals declined. Google’s possible 8-million-gallon demand is also presented more directly as future facility demand rather than primarily as pipe capacity.
08/04/2026
The story now adds specific, quantified water-service details for Google’s Botetourt campus and ties the project more directly to a delayed state groundwater study that casts doubt on sustainable large withdrawals in eastern Virginia. It also sharpens the tradeoff between water-saving cooling and higher electricity demand.
All Articles41 articles
Important
Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality released a delayed report finding that the Potomac Aquifer cannot support new industrial withdrawals for data centers across the Coastal Plain.
8/4/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Google disclosed 2 million gallons per day contracted water use for a Botetourt County, Virginia data center, tying water demand to AI-driven electricity and emissions growth.
7/9/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Amazon data center cooling water allocations in Virginia were reported across Louisa, Spotsylvania, Caroline, and Stafford counties, totaling at least 19.6 million gallons per day amid drought concerns.
6/19/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Virginia released a delayed groundwater study on the eastern coastal plain, warning that new data-center groundwater withdrawals may not be sustainably supported and urging stricter permit oversight.
7/25/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Virginia DEQ found that no evaluated Coastal Plain location could support a major new groundwater withdrawal for water-intensive data center development.
7/30/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Virginia released a delayed eastern-region groundwater study on July 26, 2026, warning constrained aquifer supplies may not support large data-center groundwater withdrawals.
7/26/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Virginia released an eastern groundwater study in 2020s that projects aquifer constraints for data center cooling demand and urges tighter withdrawal permitting and water reuse.
7/24/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Google said air cooling will be used for the first building of a Botetourt County data center campus, while Western Virginia Water Authority clarified projected water infrastructure needs.
7/24/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Virginia released a delayed groundwater study in the eastern coastal plain projecting declining availability and recommending tighter industrial withdrawal permitting for data centers and other users.
7/24/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Virginia released a delayed groundwater study in the eastern coastal plain region projecting aquifer declines and recommending stronger permitting and reuse requirements for data center-related withdrawals.
7/24/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Google said it will use air cooling for the first building of its Botetourt Center data center campus in Botetourt County, Virginia, to reduce water usage.
7/24/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Google announced air cooling for the first of three Botetourt County, Virginia data center buildings to reduce water use amid Carvins Cove drought impacts.
7/23/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality reported declining statewide water withdrawals from 2019 through 2024 as Google's planned Botetourt data center increased local demand.
8/24/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Richmond and Henrico County urged July 1 water conservation, telling residents that drought rules apply to data centers as reservoirs drop.
7/1/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Virginia officials say data centers will follow the same drought water restrictions as other customers while permitting limits and local enforcement manage extreme dryness.
6/22/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Virginia officials said data centers are subject to standard drought-era groundwater limits after DEQ permits public water authorities.
6/22/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Richmond-area drought water restrictions issued in July included data centers, while Henrico officials cited other sectors as larger water users and a new reporting law takes effect in January.
7/7/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Google announced $17 million in water stewardship projects in Nebraska and Iowa, with leak detection and watershed-focused agriculture tied to cooling and reporting plans.
6/3/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Virginia DEQ disputed health-impact modeling for Vantage Data Centers' Sterling facility after Piedmont Environmental Council reported soot pollution concerns.
7/24/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Piedmont Environmental Council and Virginia DEQ disputed health effects from a Loudoun County data center's soot and turbine emissions during a March permit-related controversy.
7/25/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
George Mason University analysis finds Virginia data center expansion increases air, water, noise, land use, and electricity cost pressures for local communities.
6/8/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Taxpayers Protection Alliance analysis in 2025 reports Virginia data centers used 1.4 percent of statewide water and 4.6 percent of electricity, disputing proposed restrictions amid a new 1.1-cent per kilowatt-hour tax.
7/15/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Botetourt County Planning Commission will ask the Board of Supervisors on July 28, 2026 to authorize a public forum on water, power, and environmental impacts for Google’s Botetourt Center at Greenfield campus.
7/13/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Virginia DEQ's eastern Virginia groundwater report is prompting broader scrutiny of data-center water demand and cumulative development in Chesterfield County.
7/17/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Google hosted a Botetourt County, Virginia open house to discuss a planned data center amid resident concerns about water use from Carvins Cove and related environmental impacts.
6/18/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Kerry Person at Amazon Web Services reported 2.5 billion gallons of 2025 data-center water use while Oregon and Utah increased public disclosure requirements for water usage.
6/11/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Google announced water stewardship commitments for data center growth in 2025, including watershed-based cooling choices and higher water replenishment targets by 2030.
6/3/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Virginia adopted a law requiring local water authorities to report data center water usage to the Department of Environmental Quality by January 1, 2027.
6/11/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
In Visakhapatnam, residents oppose Google AI data center incentives over limited water for cooling and reported displacement of farmers.
5/28/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Google purchased a 312-acre parcel in Botetourt County, Virginia in 2025 as more data centers were proposed across Southwest Virginia amid water-use concerns.
5/12/2026 • Water & Cooling • General
Interesting
Protesters in Botetourt County, Virginia, organized by Humans First, urged cancellation or greater transparency for a proposed Google AI data center ahead of a July 28 board meeting centered on water concerns.
7/19/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Dozens of residents protested a proposed Google data center campus in Botetourt County, Virginia, during a Humans First national day of action against AI data center development.
7/18/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Google held a Chesterfield County open house on three proposed data center campuses, with residents raising concerns about planning transparency and school proximity.
7/16/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Richmond, Virginia-area utilities and communities faced growing scrutiny as researcher Eric Sjostedt described data center water and electricity impacts amid rapid buildout.
7/13/2026 • Power Procurement & Grid • General
Chesterfield County residents attend open houses with Google representatives on three proposed data center campuses of more than 1,500 acres amid concerns about water and grid impacts.
7/12/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Clay Allsop said Google is still finalizing power usage for a planned Botetourt County data center near Daleville while opponents seek disclosure on electricity procurement.
5/12/2026 • Power Procurement & Grid • General
Google's planned data center in Botetourt County, Virginia, has become a congressional campaign issue as Ben Cline and Beth Macy debate water demand, energy impacts, and siting oversight.
7/31/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Chesterfield County, Virginia residents criticized planned Google data center siting near Deep Creek Middle School ahead of an August 26 board meeting.
7/23/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Roosevelt Institute coverage in 2024 links Ashburn-area data-center construction in Virginia to air-quality and energy-cost concerns and local disputes over decision-making.
7/17/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Crew McElderry testified before the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors in Virginia in June, opposing Project Sky for land footprint and water use concerns.
7/23/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Residents protested a proposed Google data center in Botetourt County, Virginia, focusing on water impacts and local financial pressure as supervisors delayed a budget vote to June 11.
5/27/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General