There’s plenty of water for data centers – slowboring.com

Report on Water Resource Management in the Context of Technological and Agricultural Demands

1.0 Introduction: Situating Water Consumption within Sustainable Development Goals

Recent attention has focused on the water consumption of emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the data centers that support it. While factually accurate that these technologies contribute to water demand, a comprehensive analysis requires a broader perspective that contextualizes this usage against other economic and domestic activities. This report examines the multifaceted issue of water consumption, distinguishing between water use and water pollution, and evaluates current practices and potential solutions through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

2.0 Analysis of Water Consumption by Sector

2.1 The Water Footprint of Industry and Innovation

The operational requirements of data centers, including cooling systems, represent a growing demand for water resources. This industrial use falls under the purview of SDG 9, which encourages sustainable industrialization. However, the focus on AI’s water consumption can be disproportionate when compared to other common uses.

Electricity generation, a prerequisite for all digital activity, is itself a water-intensive process.
Streaming high-definition video content consumes water resources at a rate comparable to, or exceeding, that of many AI queries.
The economic principle of the water-diamond paradox illustrates that water’s low market price, despite its essential utility, often leads to its application in less economically critical, or even frivolous, activities.

This disparity highlights a challenge for SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), suggesting that a systematic approach to water valuation is necessary to guide its allocation toward its most productive uses.

2.2 The Dominance of Agricultural Water Demand

The most significant consumer of water resources in the United States is not industry but agriculture. This presents a critical challenge to achieving both SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 6.

A substantial portion of irrigated cropland is dedicated to growing animal feed, such as alfalfa and hay, to support resource-intensive meat production.
Modern agricultural practices often involve cultivating crops in arid but sunny regions, made possible only through massive water transport and irrigation engineering.
This allocation of a scarce resource to produce animal feed rather than crops for direct human consumption represents a significant inefficiency in the food production system.

The historical and administrative allocation of water, which often prioritizes agricultural use over residential or industrial needs in arid regions, requires re-evaluation to align with modern sustainability objectives.

3.0 Water Quality vs. Water Use: A Critical Distinction for SDG 6

3.1 Pollution from Construction and Industrial Activity

A critical issue, often conflated with water consumption, is water pollution. The construction of large facilities, including data centers, can lead to groundwater contamination through sediment runoff and other pollutants. This directly threatens the achievement of SDG 6.3, which aims to improve water quality by reducing pollution.

This is not an issue of water quantity but of environmental regulation and construction practices. Protecting water sources from neurotoxins and pollutants like mercury, arsenic, PFAS, and lead is a fundamental regulatory responsibility that must be upheld and strengthened, independent of debates over water allocation.

3.2 The Role of Infrastructure and Planning

The reliance on private wells in exurban areas makes residents particularly vulnerable to groundwater contamination from nearby construction. This underscores the importance of robust urban and regional planning, as envisioned in SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Centralized municipal water and sewer systems provide greater resilience and safety compared to fragmented, private infrastructure.
Effective regulation of construction practices is essential to protect shared water resources for all community members.

4.0 Pathways to Sustainable Water Management

4.1 Technological Solutions and the Energy-Water Nexus

Technological innovation offers potential solutions to water scarcity, but these are intrinsically linked to energy availability. This highlights the deep interconnection between SDG 6, SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 9.

Desalination: Reverse osmosis technology has become increasingly energy-efficient, making the conversion of seawater to fresh water more viable. While desalinating water for large-scale irrigation remains cost-prohibitive due to its high energy requirements, it is a feasible solution for domestic and industrial needs in coastal areas.
Energy as the Master Resource: The primary constraint on many environmental solutions, including water security, is the availability of abundant, clean, and affordable energy. “Planting” solar panels in arid regions to power desalination plants is a more efficient use of land and resources than growing water-intensive crops.

4.2 Policy and Economic Recommendations

The location of data centers is often driven by the low cost of electricity rather than water availability, which can strain local water supplies. A holistic policy approach is required.

Rational Water Pricing: Water should be priced to reflect its true cost and scarcity, creating economic incentives for conservation and efficient allocation across all sectors—agriculture, industry, and domestic use. This aligns with the principles of integrated water resources management under SDG 6.5.
Incentivizing Efficiency: Local governments should structure tax and utility policies to ensure that new industrial developments, such as data centers, are net economic and social benefits, encouraging the adoption of water-efficient cooling technologies.

5.0 Conclusion: An Integrated Strategy for Water Security

Concerns over the water consumption of AI and data centers are valid but must be placed within the larger context of national water use, which is dominated by agriculture. The more pressing threats to water security are pollution, inefficient allocation, and the need for abundant clean energy. Achieving long-term water security requires an integrated strategy that addresses these interconnected challenges.

Recommendations:

Strengthen and enforce regulations to prevent water pollution from all industrial and construction activities, safeguarding progress toward SDG 6.3.
Implement market-based water pricing to drive efficiency and ensure water flows to its most valuable uses, in line with the principles of SDG 12.
Accelerate the transition to abundant, clean, and affordable energy sources as a foundational strategy to unlock technological solutions like desalination and power sustainable development, directly supporting SDG 7.
Reform agricultural policies to discourage the cultivation of water-intensive feed crops in arid regions, promoting sustainable food systems that support SDG 2 and SDG 6.
Foster innovation in water-efficient technologies for industrial processes and continue to improve the energy efficiency of desalination, advancing the goals of SDG 9.

1. SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues Highlighted in the Article

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

The article’s primary focus is on water use, scarcity, and pollution, which are central to SDG 6. It directly addresses the need for clean drinking water by highlighting a case where a family is “scared to drink our own water” due to suspected groundwater pollution from construction. It also discusses the sustainable management of water resources by comparing the water consumption of different sectors like AI data centers, agriculture, and residential use.

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

The article connects water use directly to food production systems. It identifies agriculture as the “true water-guzzler in the American economy,” specifically citing the resource-intensive practice of growing crops like alfalfa and hay for animal feed to produce meat. This links sustainable water management to sustainable agriculture and food security.

SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

A significant theme is the link between water and energy. The article notes that data centers are often built where electricity is cheap, not where water is plentiful. It also presents desalination as a technological solution to water scarcity but highlights its high energy consumption. The text suggests that “abundant energy helps solve ecological problems” and that “inventing and deploying cleaner and more abundant forms of energy is an urgent policy priority.”

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

The discussion revolves around the environmental impact of a new industry (AI and its data centers). It explores innovations like more energy-efficient reverse osmosis for desalination and the need for resilient infrastructure, such as “municipal water/sewer” systems, to replace vulnerable private wells. The article implicitly calls for upgrading infrastructure to be more sustainable and resource-efficient.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The article critiques the current model of “exurban” housing development that relies on private wells, which are susceptible to pollution. It advocates for “classical urban planning with street grids and municipal water/sewer,” which aligns with the goal of providing access to safe and adequate basic services for communities.

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

The article promotes the efficient use of natural resources by analyzing and comparing the water footprint of different consumption patterns. It contrasts the high water usage for meat production (growing animal feed) with other economic activities. The call to “ideally pricing water more rationally to ensure it flows to its most valuable uses” is a direct appeal for sustainable management and efficient use of water resources.

2. Specific Targets Identified Based on the Article’s Content

Targets under SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Target 6.1: Achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. This is directly relevant to the story of the Morris family, who spent $5,000 on water problems, cannot afford $25,000 to replace their well, and are “scared to drink our own water” due to contamination.
Target 6.3: Improve water quality by reducing pollution. The article explicitly discusses this target by mentioning sediment pollution from construction and the risk of increased pollutants like “mercury, arsenic, and benzene” and the failure to decrease “PFAS levels in drinking water.”
Target 6.4: Substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors. The article’s core argument is about this target, as it compares the water usage of agriculture, data centers, and residential activities, identifying agriculture as the largest consumer and advocating for a systematic approach to ensure water “flows to its most valuable uses.”

Targets under SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

Target 7.3: Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. This is referenced in the discussion of desalination technology, where the article notes that the reverse osmosis method “has been getting much more energy efficient (and therefore cheaper) over time.”

Targets under SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure. The article highlights the need for this by criticizing the vulnerability of private wells and advocating for “municipal water/sewer” systems and new infrastructure like desalination facilities.

Targets under SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Target 11.1: Ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services. The article connects to this target by pointing out the inadequacy of housing in “unincorporated parts of exurban counties” that lack basic services like a municipal water supply, making them vulnerable to contamination.

Targets under SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Target 12.2: Achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. The entire analysis of whether water is being used for its most “economically valuable” purpose—be it for AI, growing alfalfa for cattle, or filling a swimming pool—is an examination of the efficient use of the natural resource of water.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article

Indicators for SDG 6 Targets

For Target 6.1 (Safe Drinking Water): The article implies the indicator of the “proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services” by providing a negative case study of a family whose private well water is no longer safe. It also explicitly mentions specific chemical contaminants like “mercury, arsenic, benzene,” “PFAS,” and “lead,” which are measured to determine water safety.
For Target 6.3 (Water Quality): The article mentions “sediment” as a pollutant from construction. It also references the positive trend of American water “getting a lot cleaner thanks to reduced industrial pollution and better management of runoff,” which relates to the indicator “proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality.”
For Target 6.4 (Water-Use Efficiency): The article implies the indicator of “water stress” by discussing water scarcity in “arid regions.” It provides data that can be used to measure “change in water-use efficiency over time” by presenting charts and figures on water consumption by different sectors (agriculture, electricity generation, etc.) and for specific agricultural products like “alfalfa and hay.”

Indicators for SDG 7 Targets

For Target 7.3 (Energy Efficiency): The article provides a direct measure of energy efficiency improvement by stating that reverse osmosis desalination “has been getting much more energy efficient.” It also provides a cost indicator, noting that the price to desalinate a person’s annual drinking water needs is “$154.45.”

Indicators for SDG 12 Targets

For Target 12.2 (Resource Efficiency): The article provides data related to “material footprint” by highlighting that “only about 5 percent of American beef cattle are grass-fed,” implying the remaining 95% rely on resource-intensive feed crops. The chart showing that most of Utah’s irrigated cropland is for “alfalfa and hay” is another specific indicator of resource allocation.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs	Targets	Indicators (Mentioned or Implied in the Article)
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation	6.1: Safe and affordable drinking water. 6.3: Improve water quality by reducing pollution. 6.4: Increase water-use efficiency and address scarcity.	Presence of pollutants (sediment, mercury, arsenic, PFAS, lead). Safety of drinking water from private wells. Water consumption breakdown by sector (agriculture, industry, residential).
SDG 2: Zero Hunger	2.4: Ensure sustainable food production systems.	Amount of irrigated land used for animal feed (alfalfa, hay). Percentage of cattle that are grass-fed (5%).
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy	7.3: Improve energy efficiency.	Improving energy efficiency of desalination (reverse osmosis). Cost of desalination per person ($154.45/year).
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure	9.1: Develop sustainable and resilient infrastructure.	Need for municipal water/sewer systems over private wells. Development of new infrastructure like desalination plants.
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities	11.1: Access to adequate housing and basic services.	Lack of municipal water as a basic service in exurban housing.
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production	12.2: Sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.	Rational pricing of water to reflect its value. Comparison of water footprint for different economic activities (AI vs. agriculture).

Source: slowboring.com