Google has announced a series of water stewardship commitments aimed at reducing and offsetting the water consumption of its U.S data center operations, including a pledge to replenish more water than it uses at its sites by 2030 and a commitment of over USD 500 million toward water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in communities where it operates.

The Scale of Data Center Water Use

Data centers rely on water as a cooling mechanism because the servers and chips that power digital services generate significant heat.

According to Google, water cooling can reduce data center energy use by approximately 10% compared to air cooling in many locations.

The company acknowledged that while the aggregate water consumption of data centers is relatively modest, U.S. data centers use less than 1% of the water Americans use on their lawns annually, it remains focused on protecting local water resources as it expands its infrastructure footprint.

The announcement was made by Bikash Koley, Vice President of Google Global Infrastructure, and Ben Townsend, Head of Infrastructure Strategy and Sustainability.

Five Core Commitments

Google outlined five specific water stewardship commitments it intends to uphold as it continues building and operating data centers around the world.

The first and most prominent is a commitment to replenish more water than it consumes at its sites by 2030. In 2025, the company said it replenished more than 7 billion gallons of water, an amount roughly equivalent to the annual water usage of 70,000 average U.S. households.

Google currently has 165 water stewardship projects operating across 97 watersheds. Once fully implemented, these projects are expected to replenish more than 19 billion gallons of water annually by 2030, which the company describes as more than double its 2024 consumption and enough to supply the entire city of Los Angeles for more than 40 days.

Google noted that the majority of these projects are also designed to address broader watershed health challenges, including water quality issues.

The second commitment involves helping modernize water and wastewater infrastructure for neighboring communities.

Google noted that water utilities are frequently underfunded and said that in addition to paying for the water it uses, it has committed over USD 500 million to the development of water, wastewater, and water reuse infrastructure, as well as to the utility partners that deliver water in communities where it operates and builds data centers.

Projects funded under this commitment range from enhancing local water supplies to detecting leaky pipes. The third commitment focuses on protecting at-risk watersheds by using air-cooled solutions where water resources are stressed.

Google said it uses a data-driven framework to assess local watersheds before building new data centers, and will only consider water cooling if local resources are healthy and resilient.

Where a water source is assessed as being at high risk, the company says it will choose air cooling or recycled water instead and will continue working with state agencies and local utilities to ensure its approach reflects community needs.

The fourth commitment is to report annual water use transparently. Google described itself as the first major cloud provider to disclose annual water use by data center location and said it is committed to continuing this practice.

The fifth commitment involves pursuing alternative and reclaimed water solutions to protect freshwater resources.

The company cited its partnership with Douglas County, Georgia's water and sewer authority, as an example, where it reuses treated wastewater for cooling at a data center campus.

USD 17 Million in New Stewardship Projects Across Seven States

Alongside these broader commitments, Google announced USD 17 million in funding for new water stewardship projects in seven U.S. states.

In Georgia, funding will go to Ducks Unlimited to enhance wetlands at the Flint River Wildlife Management Area.

In Iowa, the Great Outdoors Foundation and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will receive support to help local farmers in western Iowa convert 5,000 acres into perennial hay and pasture systems, with the aim of reducing fertilizer use and improving water quality.

In Michigan, the Huron River Watershed Council will receive funding to expand its green infrastructure program, which uses native plantings to treat stormwater and mitigate flooding.

In Minnesota, the Trust for Public Land will work to restore 84 acres of floodplain forest and establish a one-mile corridor along the Zumbro River to improve water quality.

In Missouri, Bridging the Gap and the Heartland Conservation Alliance will restore 98 acres adjacent to the Blue River as a wetland, improving water quality and providing critical habitat.

In Nebraska, the Metropolitan Utilities District's water line leak detection program in Omaha will receive support to help reduce water loss and improve system efficiency.

In Texas, the Texas Water Impact Fund will support community water sources, infrastructure, and access across the state.

Water Replenishment Request for Information

Google also disclosed that it is evaluating additional projects through a water replenishment Request for Information process, indicating that the company is actively soliciting proposals as it works toward its 2030 replenishment target.

The company did not disclose further details about the scope or timeline of the RFI process in the published announcement.