Projected changes in water demand in northern Illinois counties, 2011-2050
Even as Illinois attempts to slow data center development, water demand in some parts of the Chicago area is already projected to increase. Those areas are growing much faster than the rest of the region, with a projected 89% increase in population (1.47 million) and 71% in employment (470,000) from 2011 to 2050.
Source: CMAP ON TO 2050 Regional Water Demand Forecast
Note: Weekly RTA change are estimates.
How much is 150.4 billion gallons?
Source: U.S. Census 2020-2024 ACS 5-year estimates
Number of households
The forecasted 150.4 billion gallons of water expected to be withdrawn for datacenters in the next five years nationwide is equivalent to the annual water withdrawals of 4.6 million U.S. households, which is more the 2.5 times the combined number of household in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Grand Rapids.