Big tech data centres spark worry over scarce Western water

By ANDREW SELSKY and MANUEL VALDES

Technology
Monday, 25 Oct 2021
3:00 PM MYT

Related News

Sabah & Sarawak 29 May 2025

Sabah Environment Protection Council holds first meeting of the year

Nation 28 May 2025

IOI Properties Group adds significant contributions to a greener built environment

Esg 26 May 2025

Promoting tourism while protecting the environment

The Dalles Mayor Richard Mays looks at the view of his town and the Columbia River from his hilltop home in The Dalles, Oregon. Mays helped negotiate a proposal by Google to build new data centres in the town. — Photos: AP

THE DALLES, Oregon: Conflicts over water are as old as history itself, but the massive Google data centres on the edge of this Oregon town on the Columbia River represent an emerging 21st century concern.

Now a critical part of modern computing, data centres help people stream movies on Netflix, conduct transactions on PayPal, post updates on Facebook, store trillions of photos and more. But a single facility can also churn through millions of gallons of water per day to keep hot-running equipment cool.

Subscribe now and receive free sooka plan for 1 month. T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only

Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.

The Dalles Mayor Richard Mays looks at the view of his town and the Columbia River from his hilltop home in The Dalles, Oregon. Mays helped negotiate a proposal by Google to build new data centres in the town. — Photos: AP

Anderson, left, and Mayor Richard Mays pose for photos in The Dalles, Oregon. — AP

The historic Granada Theater building in downtown The Dalles, Oregon. As demand for cloud computing grows, the world’s biggest tech companies are building more data centres, including in arid regions even though they use vast amounts of water per day. Some residents of The Dalles, Oregon, are objecting to a proposal by Google to build more data centers there, fearing that, amid rising temperatures and drought, there won't be enough water for everyone. — AP

Rasmussen stands at her well at her property on the outskirts of The Dalles, Oregon. She says the water table that her well draws from has dropped 15 feet in the last 15 years. She has deep concerns about Google's proposal to build more data centres, which use vast amounts of water, in the town. The city council is expected to vote soon on Google's proposal. — AP

The land beyond the fencing where Google wants to build more data centres at the site of a former aluminum smelter in The Dalles, Oregon. The Dalles City Council member Long-Curtiss wants to know more details about Google's proposal to build more data centers in the town before the city council votes on the matter. — AP

The exterior of a large brown building housing a Google data center in The Dalles, Oregon, is seen in background on the right. Local officials wants to know more details about Google's proposal to build more data centres in the town before the city council votes on the matter. — AP

Topic:

Environment Technology

Is this article useful?

100% of our readers find this article useful

Report a mistake

What is the issue about?

Spelling and grammatical error

Factually incorrect

Story is irrelevant

Email (optional)

Thank you for your report!

Next In Tech News

Others Also Read

STARPICKS

Business degrees for an AI era

Football55m ago

Defender Cools is first M'sian to sign with top-flight J.League club

Fashion59m ago

Once mocked, now coveted – 'dad style' is the fashion trend redefining cool

Animals59m ago

When monkeys kidnap other monkeys

starplus30 May 2025

INTERACTIVE: Malaysia’s Silver Mums embrace parenthood after 50

Family59m ago

How to help kids build resilience in uncertain times

China1h ago

China really wants to attract talented scientists, and Trump just helped

Corporate News1h ago

GBCI 2025: Hong Kong, NZ among easiest for business while China rises in complexity

Letters1h ago

Asean-GCC-China: Building a resilient trilateral trade architecture

Nation1h ago

Matriculation admissions: MCA Youth submits appeal to Education Ministry

Singapore1h ago

Singapore to acquire 0.79ha of Malaysia-owned land for Woodlands Checkpoint extension

Thailand1h ago

Coalition crisis forces Thai cabinet shake-up to contain unrest

Symbol	Open	High	Low	Last	Chg	%Chg	Vol ('00)
HSI-CWEH	0.200	0.215	0.195	0.210	0.010	5.00	1,013,704
HSI-PWHB	0.105	0.105	0.100	0.100	-0.005	-4.76	886,117
HSI-PWFS	0.145	0.145	0.125	0.130	-0.020	-13.33	861,184
HSI-PWFI	0.150	0.150	0.140	0.140	-0.015	-9.68	851,647
HSI-CWEQ	0.135	0.155	0.130	0.145	0.005	3.57	792,479
TWL	0.020	0.025	0.020	0.020	0.000	0.00	502,643
HSI-PWFN	0.075	0.075	0.065	0.070	-0.005	-6.67	403,703
HSI-CWGA	0.100	0.110	0.100	0.100	0.005	5.26	383,331
HSI-PWF1	0.120	0.120	0.110	0.110	-0.010	-8.33	313,752
HSI-CWEI	0.070	0.070	0.065	0.070	-0.005	-6.67	298,522
TANCO	1.000	1.020	0.990	1.000	0.000	0.00	282,743
HSTECH-C20	0.045	0.050	0.045	0.050	0.005	11.11	264,977
HSI-CWC6	0.170	0.195	0.170	0.185	0.015	8.82	250,030
NATGATE	1.480	1.480	1.390	1.400	-0.060	-4.11	204,189
ECOSHOP-CE	0.045	0.045	0.040	0.040	-0.005	-11.11	194,881

Big tech data centres spark worry over scarce Western water