American data centers in just seven states are reportedly using more water than all the cities in California
Data centers in seven states consume 10.4 million acre-feet of water
by https://www.techradar.com/author/rahim-amir · TechRadarNews By Rahim Amir Published 8 September 2026
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- Think tank Ceres found power generation for data centers in seven states withdraws 3.4 trillion gallons of freshwater a year, or 10.4 million acre-feet
- The figure might be a bit overstated, as it counts withdrawals, including hydropower water returned to the river immediately
- 78% of electricity in those states comes from water-using plants, and 66% of those plants sit in water-stressed areas
Non-profit think tank Ceres has published a new report analyzing the water used to generate electricity for data centers across Virginia, Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia, Ohio, and Arizona.
Ceres estimates data centers use 3.4 trillion gallons of freshwater a year, or 10.4 million acre-feet.
Bloomberg Law's Bobby Magill compared that unfavorably against the 8 million acre-feet California uses annually for urban purposes, a figure from a 2021 Legislative Analyst's Office report.
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An important difference withdrawal versus consumption
Ceres's approach makes sense, but it paints only a partial picture at best. It measures water withdrawals, or the total volume of water a power company pulls from a water source like a river, lake, or aquifer, including water it essentially replaces shortly afterward.
For context, the LAO's 8 million acre-feet is a different quantity: water actually delivered and applied to residential, commercial, industrial, and landscape uses across California, and it is unlikely to be channeled back to its source.
Ceres does note this, stating that "withdrawal reflects the full volume an asset depends on to operate", which it presents as a strong indicator of risk exposure to multiple communities that are already living in drought-affected areas.
A large amount of the power being generated and measured is hydroelectric power. This makes it a bit ironic, given that using water for generation may not be considered 'consumed' effectively.
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