“Data centers drain local water supplies.”
Depends on designEvaporative sites can consume millions of gallons a day; closed-loop campuses use a small fraction of that. See water facts.
Facts · Last reviewed November 8, 2026
The facts, issue by issue
For each issue: the key numbers, the strongest sourced evidence supporters and critics point to, and what is still uncertain. Every figure links to its original source wherever one is public.
Source labels:
Government
Academic
Industry
Advocacy
News
Community
Water
How much water a data center uses depends mostly on how it is cooled. Evaporative systems consume water continuously; closed-loop systems recirculate the same water. Power plants that supply data centers also use water.
~17B galDirect water consumed by all U.S. data centers in 2023
2–4×Projected growth in direct consumption by 2028
~211B galIndirect water used in 2023 to generate their electricity — about 12× direct use
Supporters point to
≤8.4M gal/yr
Projected water use for Microsoft’s mostly closed-loop Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin campus at full build — about 1/13 of a typical 18-hole golf course.
Government City of Racine records, via WPR, Sep 2025
Critics point to
2.8M gal/day
Average water consumed per day in 2024 by Google’s Council Bluffs, Iowa data center — about 1 billion gallons for the year.
Industry Google 2025 Environmental Report
Still uncertain: most companies do not report water use site by site, and national totals rely on estimates. Closed-loop designs save water but use somewhat more electricity.
Government National figures: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024 U.S. Data Center Energy Usage Report. Industry Golf course comparison: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America water-use survey — link to the survey itself pending.
Electricity & power bills
Data centers are the fastest-growing source of U.S. electricity demand. Whether that raises or lowers household bills depends on spare grid capacity and how utilities divide the cost of new plants and power lines.
4.4%Share of U.S. electricity used by data centers in 2023
11.8%Projected share by 2030 (range 9.5–15.3%)
Supporters point to
1¢+/kWh lower
From 2019 to 2024, states with the fastest demand growth saw inflation-adjusted electricity prices fall by more than 1¢ per kilowatt-hour, as fixed grid costs were spread over more sales.
Government Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory & Brattle, Oct 2025
Critics point to
+8% by 2030
Projected increase in average U.S. electricity generation costs from data center and crypto mining growth — over 25% in central and northern Virginia.
Academic Carnegie Mellon & NC State, Jul 2025
Still uncertain: Berkeley Lab warns the past link between demand growth and lower prices may not hold if new plants and power lines are built before demand arrives. Special tariffs for large customers can reduce that risk.
Government Share of electricity: Berkeley Lab 2024 report and 2025 update.
Jobs & taxes
Data centers can pay large local property taxes while states forgo sales tax on their equipment. Construction employs many people; operations employ relatively few.
74,000Virginia jobs supported by the industry, including indirect jobs
80%Share of those jobs tied to construction
~4,400Direct operating jobs at Virginia data centers
Supporters point to
$1.2B · 39%
Loudoun County, Virginia collected $1.2 billion in property taxes from data centers in FY2026 — 39% of its budget.
Government Loudoun County
Critics point to
$2.7B exempted
Virginia’s data center sales tax exemption accounted for 53% of all state economic development incentive spending from FY2015 to FY2024.
Government Virginia JLARC, Nov 2025
Still uncertain: local tax benefits are concentrated where data centers cluster; it is debated whether state incentives decide where they locate or simply subsidize choices already made.
Government Jobs figures: Virginia JLARC, Data Centers in Virginia, Dec 2024.
Noise
Cooling equipment, fans and backup generators produce both ordinary noise and low-frequency sound. Standard decibel readings capture the first well and the second poorly.
55 dBProperty-line cap in Kent County, Delaware’s 2026 ordinance
+10 dBSounds roughly twice as loud
Supporters point to
40–59 dB
Even at sites that drew complaints, Virginia’s legislative auditors estimated noise between library-quiet and normal conversation. Most data centers generate no noise complaints.
Government Virginia JLARC, Dec 2024, pp. 76–78
Critics point to
~10% of sites
At least 15 Virginia data centers produce noise residents find problematic — a constant hum that standard A-weighted noise limits don’t fully capture.
Government Virginia JLARC, Dec 2024, pp. 78, 86
Still uncertain: few local codes measure low-frequency sound; JLARC suggests adding C-weighted limits, which capture it better.
News Kent County limit: Technical.ly, Jul 2026 — link to the ordinance itself pending.
Air quality
Data centers keep diesel generators for power outages and test them regularly. Their permits allow far more running time than they normally use.
138Northern Virginia data centers mapped in a 2026 VCU study
+111%Growth in generator nitrogen-oxide emissions, 2015–2023
Supporters point to
4–7% of permits
Generators run about 5% of the time, and data centers emit only about 4–7% of what their permits allow. Today they produce roughly 3% of the region’s point-source particulate pollution.
Academic Virginia Commonwealth University, Feb 2026
Critics point to
74% of NOx
At full permitted levels, data center generators would produce about 74% of the region’s point-source nitrogen oxides. Some clusters already exceed a nearby power plant’s emissions.
Academic Virginia Commonwealth University, Feb 2026
Still uncertain: how often generators would run during a long grid emergency, when many could start at once.
Land
Data center campuses are growing fast in size, and developers increasingly look to rural and farm land with access to power lines.
200+ acresNew typical campus target, up from about 15 acres
150 MWNew typical campus power, up from about 40 MW
Supporters point to
$40K–50K/acre
Offers to farmers in Kentucky have reached about five times what land was bought for decades ago, a major windfall for landowners who choose to sell.
News Farm Policy News (Univ. of Illinois), Mar 2026
Critics point to
Farmland lost
Farmers in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have turned down offers of $10–80 million to keep land in farming. Large campuses can include 40-acre electrical substations plus new power lines.
News Farm Policy News, Mar 2026; Industry Langan
Still uncertain: no national count of farmland converted to data centers exists yet.
News Campus trends: Mission Critical magazine.
Common claims, checked
Claims heard on both sides, rated against the evidence above.
“Data centers raise everyone’s power bills.”
ContestedDemand growth lowered prices in many states from 2019 to 2024, but forecasts show increases ahead, especially in Virginia. See electricity facts.
“Data centers bring lots of jobs.”
Partly trueAbout 80% of jobs supported in Virginia are tied to construction; direct operating jobs number in the low thousands. See jobs & taxes.
“Data centers pay their way in taxes.”
Partly trueTrue locally where they cluster — 39% of Loudoun County’s budget — while the state gives up large amounts in sales tax. See jobs & taxes.
“Data centers are quiet.”
Partly trueMost generate no complaints, but about 10% of Virginia sites produce a hum neighbors find problematic. See noise facts.