Google is expanding its water stewardship program with a goal of replenishing more water than its data centers consume by 2030. The company now has 165 stewardship projects running across 97 watersheds, which it expects will replenish 19 billion gallons of water per year by 2030.
According to a report by Engadget, that figure is more than double what Google consumed across all its data centers in 2024. The company says the math would allow it to use more water in the years ahead and still come out net positive.
Google runs data centers that power Search, YouTube, Gmail, Drive, and a growing number of AI products and features. Like many technology companies, it uses water to cool servers, a method that requires less energy than air cooling. A mid-size data center uses around 300,000 gallons of water per day, roughly the same as 1,000 American households.
Communities near data centers have raised concerns about the facilities drawing from local water supplies. In its announcement, Google noted that data centers in the United States collectively use one percent of the water that Americans use on their lawns annually. The company also acknowledged that residents near these facilities have expressed opposition, with some viewing AI-driven water consumption as unnecessary.
For the current expansion, Google is spending $17 million on new projects in multiple states. In Georgia, it will help enhance wetlands at the Flint River Wildlife Management Area. In Iowa, it will help local farmers convert 5,000 acres into perennial hay and pasture systems. Projects in Michigan will use native plants to treat stormwater and reduce flooding. In Minnesota, the company will help establish a one-mile corridor along the Zumbro River to improve water quality. In Missouri, it will restore 98 acres next to the Blue River as a wetland. Additional water infrastructure projects are planned in Nebraska and Texas.
Beyond the replenishment projects, Google is making a $500 million investment into updating public water, wastewater, and water reuse infrastructure. The company also pledged to use air cooling when its assessments show that a location's water source is at high risk, and to pursue reclaimed water solutions such as treated wastewater. In February, Google reported it was already building data centers in Texas using what it described as advanced air-cooling technology to limit water use.
