ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – The Western Virginia Water Authority has released a statement regarding the Google data center development in Botetourt County and the public’s concern about its potential water usage,
“During 2024 negotiations, a proposal was presented to the authority to provide this project 10-11 million gallons of water a day. The authority fully rejected that proposal.
Before any large customer receives service, we perform engineering studies to evaluate available supply, treatment capacity, drought resilience, and impacts on existing customers.
The only water supply agreement with Google is the legally binding Utility Service Agreement on the authority’s website (www.westernvawater.org/datacenter) that was signed by the Authority Board of Directors on September 10, 2025 and fully executed on October 14, 2025. This agreement states that the authority will provide no more than Two (2) Million gallons of water per day initially (Day 1 Water Solution) to the Google data center.
The authority’s first responsibility is always to ensure reliable water for existing customers. Currently, the authority treats 21 million gallons of water per day; however, we have previously treated as much as 23 million gallons of water per day. We are confident that we can meet Google and our customers’ needs.
The agreement also states that in the future, Google can request a total of Eight ( Million gallons of water per day, (or Six Million gallons per day above the Day 1 Water Solution). Approval of this request is contingent upon the authority’s ability to meet the current and future water demand throughout the service area.
Any reference to values greater than those noted in the agreement are speculative or were values rejected by the authority during early negotiations with Google.”
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