A county investigation traced the problem to a nearby data center development operated by Quality Technology Services (QTS), where two high-capacity water connections were not being properly...
The problem is that’s not what happened here. This data center is under construction. It’s not operational yet. So the construction used this water over a period of months for dust control and mixing concrete and so on and weren’t billed for it.
Also, the way data centers are supposed to use cooling is something called a closed loop. It’s similar to what you have in your vehicle. Or a liquid cooling setup in a computer. So the water isn’t supposed to go back into the cities water table or their treatment system.
The water from the construction will do that but it is no longer potable so it has to be retreated to be safe to drink etc.
The problem is that’s not what happened here. This data center is under construction. It’s not operational yet. So the construction used this water over a period of months for dust control and mixing concrete and so on and weren’t billed for it.
Also, the way data centers are supposed to use cooling is something called a closed loop. It’s similar to what you have in your vehicle. Or a liquid cooling setup in a computer. So the water isn’t supposed to go back into the cities water table or their treatment system.
The water from the construction will do that but it is no longer potable so it has to be retreated to be safe to drink etc.