Data center used 30 million gallons of water without initially paying

# Data Center Used Millions of Gallons of Water for Free—While Neighbors Faced Drought A large data center in Georgia secretly consumed 30 million gallons of water without paying for it, partly because one water hookup was installed without the utility company even knowing about it. This happened while nearby residents were being asked to conserve water due to drought conditions and some experienced drops in water pressure. The incident highlights a growing problem: cities are approving data centers too quickly without updating their systems to properly track and manage the massive amounts of water these facilities need.