Columbus officials stress water planning as region preps for population, data center boom
Columbus officials stress water planning as region preps for population, data center boom
Hoover Reservoir a big source of Columbus drinking water
Hoover Reservoir a big source of Columbus drinking water
The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission is currently focusing its environmental efforts on central Ohio’s water supply, the organization’s leader told The Dispatch.
Speaking at MORPC’s 2025 Summit on Sustainability on Sept. 30, Executive Director William Murdock told The Dispatch his organization has been working with local governments, utility companies and the Ohio EPA to protect, conserve and treat the region’s water supply to accommodate a growing central Ohio.
“We can’t take water for granted,” he said.
Over the next few years, central Ohioans might notice more parks or green spaces as water conservation efforts get underway, and industrial sites may begin using different water techniques, according to Murdock.
“There’s a big effort here in central Ohio on water reuse strategies. So, if you think about an industrial site instead of bringing in fresh water to do whatever industrial process, they’re looking at techniques in Arizona or California where you can reuse gray water, you know, stormwater to do that instead of having to pull fresh water,” he said.
Central Ohio is forecast to grow to around 3.1 million people by the year 2050, 700,000 more people than the region had in 2020, according to MORPC data. On top of that, central Ohio is leading the nation in data center growth, The Dispatch previously reported.
Each data center can consume up to 500,000 gallons of water per day, according to The New York Times.
A $246-million, 206,000-square-foot data center opened in New Albany earlier in September. The new facility from national data center company Edged Data Centers will conserve energy and water, according to the company’s president and CEO.
By 2050, water demand will outpace supply at Columbus’ Hap Cremean Water Plant and the Dublin Road Water Plant, according to MORPC data. The city recently started construction on its fourth water treatment plant, a $1.6 billion facility at Home and Dublin roads in southwest Delaware County.
Transportation and Neighborhoods Reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, at @NathanRHart on X and at nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.