The Infrastructure Equation: Water, Energy, and Community Policy for Georgia's Data Center Boom

TL;DR

This paper examines the rapid expansion of data centers in Georgia, analyzing their environmental, infrastructural, and community impacts, and proposes policy strategies for sustainable growth balancing economic benefits with environmental and social concerns.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive policy roadmap addressing water, energy, land use, and community impacts of data center growth in Georgia, highlighting regulatory gaps and sustainability challenges.

Findings

Data centers in Georgia are increasing rapidly, impacting water and energy resources.

Clustered data center development amplifies community and infrastructure challenges.

Policy recommendations aim to balance economic growth with sustainability and community protection.

Abstract

The rapid growth of data centers driven by cloud computing and artificial intelligence is reshaping infrastructure planning and environmental governance in the United States. Georgia has emerged as a major market for data center development, particularly in the Atlanta metropolitan region, creating economic opportunity alongside significant challenges. Data centers are water-intensive, energy-intensive, and land-intensive infrastructure whose cumulative impacts strain municipal water systems, electric grids, and local land-use frameworks. Unlike single industrial projects, data centers are often proposed in clusters, amplifying community and infrastructure impacts. This report draws on insights from a Georgia-based expert convening to describe the implications of data center growth for water management, energy reliability, ratepayer equity, zoning, and community engagement, identify potential gaps in transparency and regulatory coordination, and present a policy roadmap to help Georgia balance digital infrastructure growth with sustainability, equity, and community protection.