2 posts
Water
Cooling, consumption, replenishment and the water hidden in electricity.
The Dalles fought 13 months to hide how much water Google used. It was 29% of the city's.
When The Oregonian asked how much water Google's data centres in The Dalles consumed, the city sued the newspaper, with Google paying the legal bills. The settlement revealed 355 million gallons in 2021, nearly triple 2017.
Google's 10.9 billion gallons: the water story inside the AI boom
Google's freshwater consumption rose 34% in 2025 to 10.9 billion gallons, more than double 2021, with data centres responsible for most of the increase. The company replenished about 78% and targets 120% by 2030.