A rural Georgia resident has accused Meta‘s AI data center of contaminating her well water with sediment, claiming the facility’s construction disrupted her private water supply located roughly 1,200 feet from the site. The allegation highlights growing concerns about how the massive infrastructure buildout needed to support power-hungry AI models is creating environmental disruptions across communities nationwide.
What you should know: Beverly Morris, a retiree living near Meta’s data center, says she’s now afraid to drink her tap water due to sediment buildup she believes stems from the facility’s construction.
- “I’m afraid to drink the water, but I still cook with it, and brush my teeth with it,” Morris told the BBC. “Am I worried about it? Yes.”
- Meta has denied the allegations, stating that “being a good neighbour is a priority” and commissioning a groundwater study that found the data center did “not adversely affect groundwater conditions in the area.”
The big picture: The incident underscores the mounting environmental costs of AI infrastructure as tech giants pour tens of billions into building thousands of data centers worldwide.
- Companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta are rapidly expanding their data center footprints to support increasingly sophisticated AI models that require exponentially more energy.
- Researchers estimate global AI demand could consume up to 1.7 trillion gallons of water annually by 2027—more than four times Denmark’s total water withdrawal.
Why this matters: The AI industry’s environmental impact extends far beyond energy consumption, potentially affecting local water systems and communities.
- Estimates for water usage per AI query vary dramatically, ranging from as much as a 16-ounce bottle to “roughly one-fifteenth of a teaspoon,” according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
- Activists point to potentially dangerous sediment runoff from construction that could contaminate water systems, as may be happening with Morris’ well.
- After initially emphasizing sustainability efforts earlier this decade, the AI boom has shifted industry conversations away from environmental concerns.
What comes next: As AI models become more sophisticated, researchers have found they use exponentially more energy, suggesting current environmental impacts may be just the beginning.
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...