The Western Virginia Water Authority is responding to growing concerns from residents about the region’s water supply as plans move forward for a proposed Google data center in Botetourt County.
At a recent board meeting, locals raised questions about water levels at key sources such as Carvins Cove and Spring Hollow Reservoir, particularly in light of the data center project. According to an agreement between the water authority and Helio Capital, the developer working with Google, the facility could use between 2 million and 8 million gallons of water per day.
Residents also questioned whether a large industrial user like a data center should be subject to the same drought contingency plans and rate structures as typical customers.
Julie Bivins, a Roanoke city resident, voiced concern about the scale of the project’s water use compared with existing demand, noting that the facility could far exceed the consumption of current top users.
“But of course, Google’s not any other customer. They’re going to be using 30 times more water than the top single user now,” Bivins said.
Water Authority Executive Director Mike McEvoy said officials are taking those concerns seriously and are exploring possible changes, including potential updates to existing policies.
“I do think it’s a valid question to ask,” McEvoy said. “And we’ve been talking already internally about modifying that plan sometime in the next six months.”
McEvoy said the authority is considering updates to its drought contingency plan to better account for large-scale water users. The board is also discussing the creation of a new pricing tier that would charge high-demand customers, such as data centers, higher rates for water usage.
Officials noted that the Roanoke Valley will likely need to develop a new water source by 2060. They added that partnerships with large users like Google could help fund the infrastructure needed to meet future demand.
Bivins also questioned whether the region should rely on a single large customer to help finance long-term water supply solutions.
“Are we in this position where if we don’t use Google’s money to pay for that then it’s a problem? How did we get there?” she said.
Some residents expressed concern about whether there will be enough water to support both current needs and future growth.
In addition to the data center discussion, the board reviewed a proposed budget that would keep base water rates unchanged but increase costs for higher-usage customers. The changes would apply to households using more than 4,000 to 5,000 gallons of water per month.
Despite reassurances from officials, some residents said they remain uneasy about the long-term sustainability of the region’s water supply.