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Powering Progress or Peril? The Hidden Environmental Costs of Data Centers and AI

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · 1d

Data centers power AI + the cloud, but their environmental costs are hidden.

💧 Some use 25% of local water
❓ Incomplete reporting clouds the full impact

Read CWP’s new article in Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5560480

#DataCenters

Data centers are integral to meeting the growing technological demands of data storage, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud computing. As key

papers.ssrn.com

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · 1d

This October, the Wisconsin DNR proposed a new rule to meet more stringent federal PFAS standards. The state could face civil action from the EPA if they fail to comply with federal standards.

🔗Read the article here: wpr.org/news/wiscons...

#Wisconsin #PFAS #ForeverChemicals

Wisconsin moves to bring PFAS limits in line with contested federal standards

Environmental advocates are urging state regulators to bring Wisconsin’s PFAS standards in line with federal drinking water standards for the chemicals despite an ongoing legal challenge.

wpr.org

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · 4d

💧 Data centers & the environment: Join us on Oct 15 (6:30–8 PM) at Riveredge Nature Center to discuss water use, energy demands & transparency in Wisconsin’s data center boom.

🔗 Register here: secure.riveredgenaturecenter.org/nx/portal/ne...
#DataCenters #WaterPolicy #Wisconsin #Sustainability

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · 7d

We've been busy researching about data centers. Remember to check our website for more information!

uwm.edu/centerforwat...

Home

Meet water talk - a podcast by water specialists at the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The goal of Water Talk is to bring communities across California toget...

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · 7d

Director Melissa Scanlan joined the Water Talk podcast to discuss how data centers use water and their impact on the Great Lakes.🎙️💧

Listen wherever you get your podcasts! #DataCenters #WaterPolicy #GreatLakes

www.watertalkpodcast.com

Hosts: @fkearns.bsky.social @mallika-nocco.bsky.social

Water Talk

www.watertalkpodcast.com

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UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · 11d

Center for Water Policy Dir. & Prof. Melissa Scanlan spoke with witf / LancasterOnline on data centers’ water use, noting secrecy makes it hard for communities to assess impacts before approval.

📰 Read: www.witf.org/2025/09/27/d...

Data centers’ water allotment to be 80% less than former printing plants in Lancaster city | WITF

The two proposed Lancaster city data centers’ combined daily water usage will average less than the equivalent of 156 households using the Lanca […]

www.witf.org

Reposted by UWM Center for Water Policy

Faith Kearns, Ph.D. @fkearns.bsky.social · 14d

“One of the big take aways from our research is that confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements undermine the ability of the public to know what is going on before signing on the dotted line.” Melissa Scanlan on AI data center environmental governance www.watertalkpodcast.com/episodes/epi...

Episode 71: Water Footprint of Data Centers — Water Talk

A conversation with Professor Melissa Scanlan (UW–Milwaukee Center for Water Policy and School of Freshwater Sciences) about data center water use, growth, and policy considerations. Released Septembe...

www.watertalkpodcast.com

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UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · 15d

Center for Water Policy Director Melissa Scanlan spoke with @620wtmj.bsky.social about the water impacts of data centers on the Great Lakes. She calls for a regional approach to oversight. 🌊

Read more: uwm.edu/centerforwat...

#GreatLakes #WaterPolicy

CWP Director Melissa Scanlan Featured on 620 WTMJ News

Center for Water Policy Director and Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair and Professor Melissa Scanlan was featured in a 620 WTMJ radio segment and news article talking about data centers. In it, she sugge...

Microsoft plans $4 billion expansion of Racine County work for an advanced AI data center

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · 22d

New records show the Mount Pleasant data center will use 234k gallons of Lake Michigan water daily.

Plus, Microsoft just announced plans for another.

Article: www.jsonline.com/story/money/...

Our research: uwm.edu/centerforwat...

#datacenters

This new announcement doubles the amount Microsoft plans to spend on its Racine County data center complex.

Construction begins on Milwaukee's $17 million cruise ship dock. Here's what to know

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · 23d

The $17M South Shore Cruise Dock (2026) will welcome the largest Great Lakes liners—boosting ships, jobs & the local economy.

Meanwhile, the Port Milwaukee DMDF project links tourism, restoration & public access.

📰 Article: www.jsonline.com/story/money/...
🎥 Video: youtu.be/7QtPKcPNI8s

Milwaukee's third designated cruise ship dock looks to bolster the city's growing cruise industry.

The Line 5 tunnel isn't what we were told. - Flow Water Advocates

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · 25d

The #Line5 tunnel differs from what MI agreed to in 2018:
• 10ft sealed → 21ft unsealed
• Shallow/incomplete rock sampling
• Fractured, “poor” rock + voids
• 25k gal/day groundwater inflows
• Methane risk near shale
Experts warn of safety concerns.

flowwateradvocates.org/line-5-tunne...

Line 5 – the 72-year-old dual pipelines suspended across the bottomlands of the Straits of Mackinac – has been battered by anchor strikes and entangled by cables from passing ships. It is universally ...

flowwateradvocates.org

Surging number of data centers around the Great Lakes could lead to water shortages, report says

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Sep 10

💻 Data centers are spreading fast across the Great Lakes — and straining already finite water supplies.

CWP Director Melissa Scanlan is featured in a new @chicagotribune article.

📰 @chicagotribune: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/10/g...
📑 Our ABA report: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

The region is not prepared for the unprecedented demand from data centers and other big users like agriculture.

www.chicagotribune.com

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UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Sep 9

Exciting news from the Center for Water Policy! 🌊

Anna Watson & Emilie Washer join as Sea Grant Water Science-Policy Fellows

Will Matuska joins as Water Policy & Science Communications Fellow

They’ll strengthen our water research, policy, and outreach efforts this year.

Policy Brief “Abandoned Boats in State Waters: Achieving a Clear and Efficient Response in Wisconsin”

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Sep 3

🚤 Abandoned boats are piling up on Wisconsin’s shores—threatening safety, the environment & taxpayers.

Who’s responsible for removal when owners vanish? And how can state policy speed up solutions?

👉 Read our new policy brief: uwm.edu/centerforwat...

Abandoned boats are being left on the shores of Wisconsin’s rivers and lakes. Not only are these boats difficult and expensive to remove, but it can be unclear who is responsible for removing them whe...

Milwaukee has turned toxic legacy into civic asset with river cleanups | Opinion

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Sep 3

Milwaukee’s waterways are poised to be removed from the national list of toxic hotspots. Why not celebrate?

CWP's James Wasley wrote his opinion in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as the Dredge Material Management Facility moves toward construction.
www.jsonline.com/story/opinio...

The last step in a remarkable restoration of Milwaukee’s river systems shouldn't pass quietly. Let’s use it to reflect, educate, and celebrate.

Center for Water Policy Publishes “Too Close for Comfort: State Regulation of Setbacks From the Great Lakes” Executive Summary and Table

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Aug 22

Our new research compares setback rules across all 8 Great Lakes states—showing
🔷 Common ground
🔷 Key differences
🔷 Why laws need updating to protect coasts & communities

🔗 See it here:
uwm.edu/centerforwat...

The Great Lakes water levels fluctuate over a variety of time scales. One way to protect homes and other structures located along the coasts of the Great Lakes from the dangers of fluctuating water le...

Center for Water Policy Publishes “Too Close for Comfort: State Regulation of Setbacks From the Great Lakes” Executive Summary and Table

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Aug 22

“Nobody likes putting rocks on the beach.”

Great Lakes shorelines are vanishing as erosion accelerates—driven by climate change, fierce storms & shrinking ice cover. Communities face tough choices: replenish sand, harden coasts, or retreat.
scienceline.org/2025/07/rock...

The Great Lakes water levels fluctuate over a variety of time scales. One way to protect homes and other structures located along the coasts of the Great Lakes from the dangers of fluctuating water le...

Data centers consume massive amounts of water – companies rarely tell the public exactly how much

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UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Aug 20

Our recent article for @us.theconversation.com examines the growing water demands of #datacenters driven by #artificialintelligence, & why transparency & consistency in the tracking & reporting of data center water use is needed.
nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

In 2024, one data center in Iowa consumed 1 billion gallons of water, enough to supply all the state’s residences with water for five days.

nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com

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UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Aug 14

One measure: setbacks—rules requiring buildings to be a set distance from shore/bluffs/ dunes.

Our research compares setback laws across all 8 Great Lakes states, showing:
🔷 Commonalities
🔷 Differences
🔷 Why updates are needed to protect communities
uwm.edu/centerforwat...

Center for Water Policy Publishes “Too Close for Comfort: State Regulation of Setbacks From the Great Lakes” Executive Summary and Table

The Great Lakes water levels fluctuate over a variety of time scales. One way to protect homes and other structures located along the coasts of the Great Lakes from the dangers of fluctuating water le...

Years after high water crisis, lax policies leave Michigan coast vulnerable | Great Lakes Now

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Aug 14

In 2020, record-high Great Lakes levels swallowed beaches. 5 yrs later, with water 6" below avg, most of MI’s 387 coastal towns allow homes at the high-water mark—only ~12 added big setbacks or armoring bans.Experts warn for the next high-water cycle.
www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/year...

Extreme erosion along the Great Lakes coasts inspired proposals to pull development back from the shoreline. Five years later, regulatory gaps leave some communities vulnerable.

www.greatlakesnow.org

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Aug 12

Building near the Great Lakes can be risky especially close to shorelines. Some states use setback laws to protect people & property.

Our new executive summary & table compares Great Lakes setback regulations. Are they enough for coastal resilience?
📄 Read it here:
uwm.edu/centerforwat...

PFAS Contamination in Wisconsin's Public Drinking Water Supplies: Regulatory Context

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Aug 5

💧 How safe is your tap water?
See our work on how PFAS are contaminating #drinkingwater across #Wisconsin.
🔎 Learn what’s being done (and what’s not) to regulate them:
📖 Read: uwm.edu/centerforwat...
📺 Watch: youtu.be/FhTVF4uhveE

#PFAS #ForeverChemicals #WaterPolicy

The Center’s researchers Andrian Lee and Melissa Scanlan conducted a legal analysis on PFAS Contamination in Wisconsin’s Public Drinking Water Supplies to compliment Dr. Laura Suppes’ April 2023 Earth...

PFAS in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River | CBC News

UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Aug 5

#PFAS — toxic “forever chemicals” — are flowing into the #GreatLakes and St. Lawrence River, ending up in drinking water for millions.

🔹 Lake Ontario has the highest PFAS levels
🔹Lack of applied treatments designed to remove PFAS
newsinteractives.cbc.ca/features/202...

Toxic chemicals are flowing into the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River — and they’re showing up in drinking water.

newsinteractives.cbc.ca

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UWM Center for Water Policy @uwmwaterpolicy.bsky.social · Aug 4

💧 How much water do AI + data centers use? We analyzed private ESG reports to find out — and uncovered how limited and opaque the data really is.
📖 Read below!
🔗 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
#WaterPolicy #ESG #DataCenters #Transparency

Inside ESG Reporting: Thirsty Data Centers Reveal Limits to Transparency

ESG reporting promises transparency on businesses’ sustainability, but private governance limits access to this information in a variety of ways. Water Policy S

papers.ssrn.com