Locals rage over AI data center sprinklers in drought-hit Denver
One rule for me and another for thee.
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- Denver residents can water lawns only twice a week during a stage one drought.
- A viral video shows dozens of sprinklers flooding grounds at an alleged new AI data center.
- The site owner remains unconfirmed, but Coresite is building a nearby 180,000-square-foot facility.
- Locals worry that data centers may strain water supplies, raise energy costs, and worsen pollution.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
An outraged dog walker living in drought-hit Denver has uncovered a field full of sprinklers at an AI data center, while local residents must adhere to year-long water restrictions.
In March, a stage one drought was declared in Denver, Colorado, with residents asked to limit watering their lawns to 2 days a week, watering only during cooler hours – before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
In addition to this year-long restriction, an indefinite sprinkler ban is also due to come into force next month.
A newly built AI data center appears, at least in one viral video filmed by an angry local resident, to be exempt from those rules.
The footage shows dozens of sprinklers flooding the grounds of an unnamed data centre, surrounded by borders full of blooming yellow flowers.
Denver has over 4 dozen data centers, with councillors passing a 1-year ban on their development in May this year.
The Elyria-Swansea resident, who was out walking her dog, is heard saying: “This is the new AI data center that they just built right next to my house.”
“We can't water our lawns until next summer at the earliest, but you better believe that they are watering their entire green with so many sprinklers that it's literally making a giant pond.”
I can't water my f*cking tomatoes. I hate it here,– Elyria-Swansea resident complains on X.
New site, same big tech customers
While the owner and location of the site remains unconfirmed, there is a new 180,000 square feet, 18MW AI data centre being built in Elyria-Swansea by developer Coresite.
The data center developer’s clients on other sites include the usual big tech customers, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.
The new site’s construction has drawn controversy among locals, with residents warning at a town hall meeting that the project could strain water resources, drive up energy costs, and further pollute an already overburdened neighborhood.
While there’s a possibility that the facility could be using recycled water to irrigate its grass, this comes with its own environmental concerns.
A Meta-affiliated data center company in Cheyenne, Wyoming, for instance, flooded local wastewater pipes with fill-and-flush swill containing a rare and deadly bacterium, according to one report.
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Denver isn’t the only US state where citizens feel water consumption rules are not being fairly applied.
In May, it was reported that investigators in Georgia found that unusually low water pressure in homes across Fayette County was caused by a data center secretly drawing 29 million gallons through 2 water connections the county didn’t know existed.
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Despite outrage from locals, the county decided not to fine developer Quality Technology Services.
According to an Amazon blog, posted in June, its data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water last year, which it claims is more than 7 times below the industry average.
