Reliable power and water are needed for economic development. Let’s not jeopardize those for AI datacenters which may not even be needed in a few years. Don’t assume just because the governor says we’re doing datacenters that they will expand everywhere. Remember the dotcom bust and how cheap PCs took over, then smartphones. Somebody will invent a much less expensive method of doing so-called artificial intelligence, a method that does not require huge datacenters.

I discussed that as Suwannee Riverkeeper with others at the second Workshop for the five-year Update of the Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan, on November 17, 2025.

Further, there are natural limits on water beyond economic limits of running water and sewer lines. Witness Barber Pool, which used to be a popular swimming venue on River Street in Valdosta. It was fed by a spring that now hardly ever trickles, because of argricultural water withdrawals for irrigation.

The next such Workshop is this Monday, January 20, 2026, at about 6 PM, after the Work Session of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), at 325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, GA. These Workshops are organized by the Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC). They are attended by representatives of a wide range of local governments, nonprofits, and businesses. The resulting Comprehensive Plan will be referenced in every rezoning or variance or special exception.

Power, water, and datacenters, –Suwannee Riverkeeper 2025-11-17, Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan, Update Workshop 2

With much other discussion, the attendees agreed on rewording some passages to say:

Objective 1: Encourage land use that connects with existing utilities, services, and businesses and promotes active lifestyles and preservation of greenspace.

Objective 2: Guide growth that connects and protects natural resources.

Objective 3: Promote growth along existing infrastructure/within Urban Service Areas

Objective 4: Educate the public on the purpose of planning and development procedures and tools; while Streamlining the processes and providing more transparency to citizens

Objective 5: Guide through land use designations (Urban vs. Rural)

Here is a WWALS video playlist of the relevant LAKE videos:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-Qyybgn7WqcLlGCiCaGjohhx&si=7Ngqqf736z9vumRA

The entire meeting is in these LAKE videos: http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/2026/01/videos-workshop-2-lowndes-county-comprehensive-plan-update-2025-11-17.html

In that meeting I mentioned that some datacenters are going to closed-loop cooling, which uses less water. That is being touted as a solution to local water use; see for example Maya Derrick, Technology Magazine, July 22, 2025, How Are Companies Cooling Data Centres Without Water?.

Once initially set up, the system eliminates the need for further water input, effectively halting unnecessary water consumption.

This strategic design facilitates accurate chip-level cooling while negating reliance on municipal water systems.“These new liquid cooling technologies are designed to circulate water within a closed network,” says Steve Solomon, Vice President of Data Centre Infrastructure Engineering at Microsoft.

“Once the initial setup is complete, the system operates independently, dissipating heat efficiently without additional water intake.”

Since its deployment, Microsoft has achieved an 80% improvement in Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) compared to earlier models.

Further initiatives are underway with Singapore-based Evolution Data Centres, which utilises fully air-cooled, closed-loop systems to operate reliably in hot, humid climates without relying on regional water supplies.

OK, 80% reduction is good, if it is actually achieved.

But even 20% remaining could be a lot of water use.

See Bob Hembree, Lake Powell Chronicle, November 6, 2025, Data’s Hot Secret: The Closed-Loop Paradox,

Secondary Loop: The External Battle

Once the primary loop captures heat, the heated fluid is pumped to a heat exchanger, where it transfers energy to an external secondary loop without mixing the two fluids.

The type of external cooling determines a data center’s resource footprint—water versus energy.

Cooling Towers (Evaporative) are among the most energy-efficient and effective systems in moderate or dry climates. They use evaporation to dissipate heat, where a small portion of water turns to vapor and carries the heat away.

However, constant water loss requires regular replacement, a process known as blowdown, which results in high Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) metrics. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2022 Data Center Energy Efficiency Report, evaporative cooling towers are among the largest contributors to water consumption in the sector.

So even closed loop cooling isn’t really completely closed, and requires much water.

Oh, and closed loop cooling is expensive, so would datacenters actually use it?

Plus the power requirements of such brute-force datacenters, which can run up everbody’s electric bills, while requiring cooling water at power plants.

We have heard two locations in Lowndes County mentioned as possible for datacenters:

• East of Coleman Road south of North Valdosta Road, west of the Withlacoochee River, across from Langdale Park. That came up in a rezoning back in July. However, nothing definite was said, and there are many other possible uses for the property.

  
  Rezoning Map for Langdale Capital Assets, Inc.
  PDF

• The other is vaguely rumored to be at I-75 Exit 13, which is Old Clyattville Road. There is land for sale around there, but nobody seems to know anything more.

  
  Map: I-75 Exit 13, Old Clyattville Road, 2026-01-16 in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT)

DC

Reliable power and water vs. AI datacenters –Suwannee Riverkeeper, 2025-11-17, Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update 2 –jsq for LAKE

NL

Natural limits on water: Barber Pool – datacenters –Suwannee Riverkeeper, 2025-11-17, Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update 2 –jsq for LAKE

Guide growth, 2025-11-17, Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update 2 –jsq for LAKE

Land development process transparency –Christie Moore, Pres. Chamber, 2025-11-17, Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update 2 –jsq for LAKE

• Reliable power and water vs. AI datacenters –Suwannee Riverkeeper
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/VmbwEvKgh3Y

  Workshop 2, Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update 2025-11-17

  Videos by John S. Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
  http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/2026/01/videos-workshop-2-lowndes-county-comprehensive-plan-update-2025-11-17.html

• Natural limits on water: Barber Pool – datacenters –Suwannee Riverkeeper
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/LI6umxo4Chk

  
  

• Land development process transparency –Christie Moore, Pres. Chamber
  

  Video:
  https://youtu.be/Vxk1–qSfRQ

  
  

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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