I can't drink the water' - life next to a US data centre

Residents of a rural town in Georgia describe the difficulty of living close to a large US data centre, as fear grows over the potential impact on their health from the centre's use of local groundwater

The small town of Douglas is home to fewer than 40,000 people, and many of them are concerned about the lack of transparency from the tech giant operating in their backyard. The onus is on the data centre to demonstrate that it is not adversely impacting the local water supply or the health of the residents who rely on it.

A recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found elevated levels of contaminants in the water supply near data centres, leading to concerns over the safety of drinking water. The study identified a correlation between elevated levels of contaminants and areas with active data centres. The most concerning contaminants included chlorides, nitrates, and bromides.

While the EPA study did not examine potential health effects, it did highlight the need for further research on the impact of data centres on local water supplies. Residents of Douglas are now calling for increased transparency and accountability from data centre operators, as well as more comprehensive environmental impact assessments to ensure the protection of local communities and ecosystems.