In Fayette County, Georgia, a large AI data center project named "Excalibur Project" secretly drew about 29 million gallons (about 110,000 cubic meters) of tap water through two water pipes over a period of 15 months. Shockingly, Georgia is currently experiencing moderate to severe droughts, and the state government has asked residents to stop watering their lawns to conserve water.
The project was developed by QTS, a company under Blackstone Group. The campus covers 615 acres and has already built 13 buildings with a total area of 6.2 million square feet (about 576,000 square meters). QTS stated that the water drawn was mainly used for concrete pouring during the construction phase, dust control, and site preparation. They also promised to use a closed-loop cooling system after operation, only using municipal water for restrooms and kitchens.
The main reason for the incident was a procedural error when the Fayette County Water Department was transitioning to a cloud-based metering system, combined with a lack of staff, which led to the secret water extraction going undetected for 15 months. Water Department Director Vanessa Tigert admitted that only one employee was responsible for checking and reviewing the relevant plans, significantly lowering work efficiency.
Although the local water department ultimately decided not to fine QTS, they required the company to pay back $147,000 in water fees. Tigert said that because QTS is the largest customer in the county, both sides needed to maintain a good relationship, and she mentioned this as "customer service."
Key Points:
🌊 An AI data center in Georgia secretly extracted 29 million gallons of tap water over 15 months, drawing public criticism.
🏗️ The extracted water was mainly used for construction, and QTS promised to adopt a closed-loop cooling system in the future.
💰 The government decided to only recover water fees and not impose fines on QTS, emphasizing the importance of maintaining relationships with major customers.
