Meta Built a Data Center Next Door. The Neighbors’ Water Taps Went Dry

After Meta built a $750 million data center in Newton County, Georgia, nearby residents on well water reported their taps went dry. The facility uses roughly 500,000 gallons of water per day — about 10% of the county's total consumption — and new permit applications suggest future facilities could demand millions of gallons daily. The county faces a projected water deficit by 2030 and would need an estimated $250 million in infrastructure upgrades to meet growing data center demand, raising urgent questions about who bears the cost of Big Tech's water appetite.