Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The numbers driving the data center water debate may not be what you think.
Will Hewes, Water Sustainability Lead for Amazon, says one of the most common claims about data centers—that a single facility uses 5 million gallons of water per day—doesn't match what Amazon sees across its global operations. According to Hewes, the average Amazon data center uses less water in an entire year than that widely cited figure suggests for a single day.
The distinction matters as communities across the country weigh the impacts of new data center development. Hewes says Amazon's perspective is based on operational data from hundreds of facilities worldwide, offering a broader picture of actual water use.
He also points to a statistic often missing from the conversation: data centers account for less than one-half of one percent of industrial water use overall.
Episode at youtu.be/FJxYGENMoJc?si=gB02jgTY4uYggPmr
waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability. Visit waterloop.org
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#DataCenters #Water #Amazon #DataCenterWaterUse #WaterSustainability #CloudComputing #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #WaterManagement #WaterEfficiency #Technology #Infrastructure #WaterNews #DigitalInfrastructure #Sustainability
The numbers driving the data center water debate may not be what you think.
Will Hewes, Water Sustainability Lead for Amazon, says one of the most common claims about data centers—that a single facility uses 5 million gallons of water per day—doesn't match what Amazon sees across its global operations. According to Hewes, the average Amazon data center uses less water in an entire year than that widely cited figure suggests for a single day.
The distinction matters as communities across the country weigh the impacts of new data center development. Hewes says Amazon's perspective is based on operational data from hundreds of facilities worldwide, offering a broader picture of actual water use.
He also points to a statistic often missing from the conversation: data centers account for less than one-half of one percent of industrial water use overall.
Episode at youtu.be/FJxYGENMoJc?si=gB02jgTY4uYggPmr
waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability. Visit waterloop.org
Subscribe to catch every video: youtube.com/@waterloop
Never miss an episode! Subscribe to waterloop:
🎧 Spotify:bit.ly/waterloopSpotify
🎧 Apple Podcasts:bit.ly/waterloopApple
🎧 YouTube Podcasts:bit.ly/waterloopYouTubePod
Follow waterloop for more stories on water sustainability:
🔹 Instagram:instagram.com/the_waterloop
🔹 LinkedIn:linkedin.com/company/thewaterloop
#DataCenters #Water #Amazon #DataCenterWaterUse #WaterSustainability #CloudComputing #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #WaterManagement #WaterEfficiency #Technology #Infrastructure #WaterNews #DigitalInfrastructure #Sustainability
