Your removing more water from one place (ground water) where it's usually located and it's not sure it get back to that exact place. Resulting in that place (the ground?) drying out?
Guess you could use water from somewhere that doesn't have issue with getting dry. Like the ocean.
1 8Samuel
@samuel.fm
yeah I mean you *could* unsustainably drain an aquifer. but surely you could just build your DC somewhere wetter where that’s not a concern? A data centre in a drought-stricken desert would be stupid yeah
1 5
Get To Know NatureUnfortunately there are a lot of data centers in places like Texas where water is an issue. Decisions about where to put them are made more by real estate prices than the water situation. And water is relatively cheap. So they’ll choose the cheaper area even if it stresses the local water system
3 2 22Samuelright right that does sound bad
1 3Get To Know NatureYeah. I mean they could do it properly and in the right places but they’re probably not going to unless some one makes them. Water should probably cost a lot more in those areas than it does, at least for big companies but water politics is very complicated
9
Andrea HoerrOther considerations that lead to a proliferation of data centers in Arizona is the relative lack of weather that causes sustained power outages such as hurricanes and tornados. Also no earthquakes.
1 5Get To Know NatureOh that’s an interesting angle. So as long as they can actually get the water they know their centers are safer than other places. But meanwhile the local area gets even more water stress. Ugh
1 1Andrea HoerrIt’s so maddening. I used to work for a cloud services provider so got to understand a bit about the business. And of course Arizona is notably lax with their water laws. Ask me about hard rock mining in our most important refugia sometime. I’m very active in the fight against that horror.
1Marx-Bertil Jonsson Thoreau essentialismens nemesisThis is also not so smart in heat sense. As in better to put them in a place where air and ground is not so warm.
2