BOTETOURT CO., Va. – A proposed Google data center campus in Botetourt County could use between 2 million and 8 million gallons of drinking water per day, according to an executed agreement between the developer and the Western Virginia Water Authority.
The agreement with Helios Botetourt — the entity developing the campus at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield business park in Daleville — outlines projected daily water demand and responsibility for infrastructure improvements.
The water would be supplied by Carvins Cove Reservoir, the primary drinking water source for Botetourt County and much of the Roanoke Valley.
Officials have said Carvins Cove can handle the projected 2-to-8-million-gallon daily demand. However, county leaders have acknowledged that if water usage exceeds expectations, it could accelerate the timeline for developing an additional regional water source — a need previously projected decades from now.
During a recent Board of Supervisors meeting, county attorney Michael W.S. Lockaby said a water supply that otherwise might not be required until the 2060s could become a concern as early as the 2030s if demand increases significantly.
Under the agreement, Helios and Google would pay for water infrastructure improvements necessary to serve the data center, including upgrades directly attributable to the project.
County leaders have also discussed a pro-rata policy. Under that framework, Google would pay for its share of larger system expansions if additional capacity is needed. Remaining costs for expanded infrastructure not directly tied to the data center’s usage could fall to the county and water authority ratepayers.
The newly released water figures have intensified debate among some residents.
“I want my daughter to have drinking water. I want my grandkids one day and your grandkids and our community children to have drinking water,” said Misty Dawn Vickers, a Roanoke resident who opposes the project. “Right now, we’re willing to give Google business here to drink our daughters and sons and our grandchildren and our children’s drinking water for what? For a couple million dollars, maybe? Maybe a couple billion dollars by the end of it?”
Supporters of the project argue the site is already zoned for industrial development and emphasize that infrastructure costs directly tied to the facility would be covered by the developer, not existing customers.
Botetourt County has published environmental and water-related information online as discussions continue.
With millions of gallons per day now part of the public record, local officials, residents and advocacy groups continue to debate the balance between economic development and long-term water supply planning in Southwest Virginia.
In a statement, the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance said the projections confirm concerns about long-term sustainability.
The statement reads in part:
“We are pleased that the Western Virginia Water Authority and Helios Capital LLC are being held accountable to the residents and water users by releasing the amount of our water the Google data center proposes to use. We are outraged that 2-8 million gallons of drinking water per day may be used for this project that benefits a single private company.
This transparency of the public’s business is part of what the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance has been advocating for.
With the redactions gone, officials are already starting to echo our concerns. At yesterday’s Botetourt County Board of Supervisors meeting, Michael W.S. Lockaby, the county’s attorney, said ‘That water supply that otherwise would not be required until 2060 or the 2060s, suddenly becomes something that we need to be worried about during the 2030s.’
This is what we have been arguing: the data center drastically accelerates the time frame for finding a new water source. This is not the responsible nor sustainable growth that we charge our elected and non-elected officials with enacting.
Ultimately, we believe any data center development should not happen in this region and we continue to fight to stop the Google data center project in Botetourt County."
Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance