Georgia Data Center Used 30 Million Gallons of Water Without Paying
Residents in the Annelise Park community south of Atlanta started noticing their water pressure was lower than normal. When they raised the issue with local officials, what investigators found was considerably bigger than a plumbing problem.
Two water connections had been hooked up to Quality Technology Services' Fayetteville Data Center Campus Project — a massive facility about 20 miles south of Atlanta. One of those connections had been installed without the utility's knowledge. The other wasn't properly linked to QTS's account. The result was that the data center had used nearly 30 million gallons of water without initially paying for it.
The issue came to light when a resident obtained a 2025 letter from the Fayette County Water System to QTS through a public records request. The letter referenced a retroactive charge of $147,474 for an unspecified number of months of water use.
QTS was not fined or punished.
"They're our largest customer, and we have to be partners," said Vanessa Tigert of the Fayette County Water System. "It's called customer service."
What QTS and the County Say
QTS called any suggestion the company improperly used water "categorically false" and attributed the whole situation to a billing mistake that has since been corrected. The county offered a similar explanation — during a switch to a new digital water meter system, some meters remained connected to the old system and weren't being tracked or billed properly.
"Once this problem was found, QTS and Fayette County Water quickly worked together to resolve the billing and meter tracking issues," the county said in a statement. QTS was billed retroactively at a construction rate of $6.46 per 1,000 gallons — double the normal retail rate — and paid promptly. All meters are now connected to the new system.
QTS also said the 30 million gallons was a temporary situation caused by construction activity. Once the facility is operational it will use a closed-loop cooling system requiring no net new water for cooling, with usage limited to employee needs like bathrooms and kitchens — roughly comparable to about four American households annually. Construction is expected to wrap up by 2029.
The company maintains its average daily water use over the past year represents less than 1% of the county's total water production.
The Timing and the Bigger Picture
This became public in April — the same month Georgia issued a drought declaration amid a significant rainfall shortage. The Fayette County Water System had already asked residents to conserve water and limit outdoor irrigation to two days per week. Finding out that a data center next door had used 30 million gallons without paying for it — during a drought — didn't sit well with a lot of people.
The county says QTS is permitted to produce 22.8 million gallons per day and currently generates about 17.3 million daily. Officials maintain the data center's usage does not affect residential water pressure. Whether that explanation fully satisfies the residents who first noticed something was off is a different question.
Data centers and water use have become an increasingly contentious issue across the country. Georgia alone currently has 213 data centers. These facilities require enormous amounts of water for cooling — and as AI infrastructure expands rapidly, communities near large data campuses are pushing back harder on what it means for local resources, water tables, and the basic experience of turning on a tap and getting normal pressure.
Residents noticed something was wrong. A records request confirmed it. Thirty million gallons and a billing mistake later, the county says everything is fine now.
The residents who raised the alarm might reasonably wonder whether anyone would have noticed without them.
Curious for more stories that keep you informed and entertained? From the latest headlines to everyday insights, YourLifeBuzz has more to explore. Dive into what’s next.