Living in Americus, GA, I have witnessed firsthand the growing water scarcity issues that affect our community daily. We are a small town with limited resources, and our existing infrastructure is already under pressure to meet the demands of our current population. The prospect of new data centers being established in Americus and the surrounding counties is alarming, as these facilities are notorious for their excessive water consumption, environmental impact and large demand for power. 

Data centers require vast amounts of water for cooling systems to function effectively, drawing precious resources from already strained local supplies. According to a 2020 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, data centers can consume anywhere from 1 to 5 million gallons of water per day. In areas like ours, where we are already battling water shortages, this would exacerbate our problems and could lead to severe water rationing for residents.

In addition to the vast amounts of water and pollution (Both Noise and environment) That these data center produce, they also consume large amounts of power. This consumption inevitable leads to steep price increases on the rest of the consumers in the area. This only compiles on the residence of Americus GA with an extra unneeded expense 

This already massive drain on the residence is further exacerbated by the underwhelming supply of jobs it provides. Unlike a traditional large scale manufacturing plant this will employ very few people. This will employ on average 10-50 people most of which will be there for cleaning and facility maintenance. This miniscule amount of jobs does not come close to offsetting a fraction of the cost the community pays. 

I urge local officials, planners, and stakeholders to reconsider the establishment of new data centers in Americus and surrounding areas. Let us prioritize residential water use and environmental integrity over corporate interests.

Please sign this petition to call for responsible development and to protect our community & appose precious resources and environment.