KEEPING DATA CENTERS cool.

Data centers consume a significant amount of water, but the exact amount is difficult to determine due to limited public data. This can have negative impacts on the communities where they are located, as seen in The Dalles, Oregon. Many data center operators do not monitor their water usage, so it is important for them to use water efficiently. Civil engineers can help manage water consumption through water balance studies and site selection considerations. They also play a role in designing cooling systems and infrastructure, calculating water consumption, and designing water supply and discharge systems. Data centers generate wastewater effluents that must be discharged to the water utility's sewer system, and civil engineers can help design filtration systems and manage water systems. They can also assist water utilities in creating master plans that consider future data center development. Resilience and redundancy are growing concerns for data centers, and some operators are requesting information on water reliability and resilience plans from water utilities. Opportunities exist for civil engineers to minimize water consumption, waste, and energy usage for cooling in data centers. [Extracted from the article]