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Baltimore County staff warn data centers could strain public water supply, urge early coordination
Summary
DPW&T staff told the County that hyperscale and some wholesale data centers can consume large volumes of water and concentrate contaminants in wastewater, and that Baltimore County lacks reclaimed-water infrastructure like other jurisdictions; staff recommended early, site-specific review, pretreatment requirements and consideration of on-site storage or infrastructure funding.
Baltimore County Department of Public Works & Transportation staff told a county work session that data centers can use large amounts of municipal water and that the county lacks reclaimed-water infrastructure and permitting mechanisms other jurisdictions use to control that demand.
"We're gonna talk about data center and its water usage, today," said the DPW&T presenter, who described four cooling systems and the county work plan produced under a council resolution. Jonathan Cohen, identified in the presentation as an Engineer 3, gave an overview of the shared Baltimore City–County water system and pressure zones used for siting analysis.
The presenters said data-center water demand varies by business model and cooling method. The presentation cited two benchmark types: retail/wholesale sites (one example noted at about 88,000 gallons per day) and hyperscale sites, which the presenter…
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