As data centers continue to threaten local resources, ratepayers, and communities, understanding how these facilities impact water supply and infrastructure is essential. State policy actors have a vast array of tools and policy mechanisms for regulating water usage, discharge, and water service costs, and requiring data disclosure and analysis to protect their water resources. Solutions for safeguarding states’ water resources are explored in Climate XChange’s forthcoming State Policy Toolkit for Data Center Regulation on Water Impacts.
We’re convening a webinar to review the water impacts of data centers, what water efficiency technologies are available, and how state policy can mitigate adverse impacts to water supply, quality, and costs. Our speakers include:
– Margaret Cook, Vice President of Water and Community Resilience at the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC), who will provide a deep dive into how data centers use water for cooling, where there are impacts to water systems and planning, and which water efficiency technologies are available to mitigate adverse impacts.
– Kristen Soares, State Climate Policy Network Manager at Climate XChange, who will provide tools and examples from the soon-to-be released State Policy Toolkit for Data Center Regulation on Water Impacts, covering state policies to protect local water supply and quality, require disclosure on adverse impacts, and utilize financial tools to fund water conservation and protect ratepayers.