Data centers’ consumptive water use
How 1,106 across Chicago's transit systems has improved over time. The recovery has been slow and uneven. Other cities have recovered more quickly.
Number of Great Lakes states data center
Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California
Direct consumptive use (water used at data centers)
48 million gallons
Indirect consumptive use (water used by power plants to generate data center electricity)
579 million gallons
Metra
-37%
Pace bus*
-35%
Note: Weekly RTA change are estimates.
The consumptive daily water use for data centers across the country stands at 627 million gallons. That's water that isn’t returned to its source, and the vast majority is consumed indirectly by the power plants that provide energy for data centers.