US data centers tripled water use to 17 billion gallons

US data centers tripled annual water consumption to 17B gallons

US data centers consumed an estimated 17 billion gallons of water in 2023, roughly three times their 2014 usage, according to a Congressional Research Service report. The figure includes indirect water use from electricity generation, which accounts for over 80% of a data center's total water footprint. Direct cooling water is only a small share, and 'waterless' designs may simply shift the burden to power generation. Federal tracking is fragmented, and legislation to improve reporting is slow-moving, leaving the industry's water impact as an estimate based on incomplete state data.