re: AI Data centers

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- It’s 4 million square feet. That’s 2,250 acres, roughly 70 football fields
- It’s permitted to use 23 million gallons of water PER DAY
- Estimates are saying 600 million gallons of water per year will be used
- Residents are seeing a tremendous amount of noise and bright lights

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The other travesty is that they will only use that water for cooling purposes so it should be good to put back in the environment

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Key Concerns Regarding Cooling Tower Emissions:Drift (Contaminant Drift): While the vapor is pure, small liquid water droplets known as "drift" can be carried out of the tower by airflow. This drift can contain concentrated dissolved solids, scale inhibitors, biocide treatment chemicals, and heavy metals.

Legionella Bacteria: The warm, moist environment of cooling towers is a known breeding ground for Legionella bacteria. Proper maintenance and chemical treatment are required to prevent the release of these bacteria into the air.

Chemical Treatment Agents: To prevent scaling and corrosion, operators use chemical treatments, including biocides (like bromine (highly toxic)or chlorine dioxide) and inhibitors, which are concentrated in the remaining water and potentially released via drift.

Discharge (Blowdown): Roughly 20–30% of the water used is not evaporated but discharged as "blowdown," which is high in concentrated contaminants and can pose a risk to local water treatment facilities.

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