Water authority clarifies when a new water source will be needed
BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) — Scrutiny is growing over a planned Google data center in Botetourt County and its projected use of water from Carvins Cove. Some confusion was caused earlier this week when the Western Virginia Water Authority and county officials offered differing timelines on when a new water source could be needed.
Google purchased more than 300 acres in the Greenfield area last year, saying it would pay for needed upgrades to utility infrastructure. Information released this week shows Google plans to initially draw two million gallons of water from Carvins Cove per day, with that figure potentially increasing to eight million gallons.
The water authority and county leaders previously said a new water source could be needed by around 2050 and would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. But Botetourt County Attorney Michael Lockaby offered a different timeline during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
“If Google happens, it’s going to happen much sooner, probably more like the 2030s,” Lockaby said. “Because it’s been moved up, it’s more important for us to get ahead.”
Lockaby clarified Thursday that a new water source only needs to be planned by the 2030s — not necessarily built. He said he does not know exactly when it would have to be in use.
The Western Virginia Water Authority told WDBJ7 it will likely be at least 15 years before a new water source is created, and that it will be at least two decades before a new source is needed. The authority also emphasized that the region will not run out of water.
Sarah Baumgardner, Director of Public Relations for the Western Virginia Water Authority, said the valley’s long-range water supply plan — developed in 2010 — projected adequate supply through 2060, with a new source needed after that. She said post-COVID growth has accelerated that planning.
“This Valley has seen a lot of growth post-COVID that we have all benefited from, so we do know that there will need to be a new water source,” Baumgardner said. “The opportunity of having Google here in the Valley provides some additional funding that may mean that we can move faster on this water supply, identify a new source, and even construct a new source sooner than we had originally thought, but this is still a long-range plan.”
Baumgardner confirmed no specific year has been identified for when a new source would need to be online, saying the authority can meet Google’s initial water needs. She said engineering consultants are working now to assess current and long-range needs — work funded by Google and conducted in partnership with a state-mandated long-range water supply plan due by 2029.
“If we can get a new water supply before 2060, that would be great,” Baumgardner said. “That would be a benefit to the entire Valley for redundancy, but we do know that this is a long-range plan. It won’t happen any sooner than 15 years because of the time it just takes to plan and permit a new source.”
Baumgardner said options for a new water source include building a new reservoir, tapping into or maximizing existing sources, and water reuse.
“You not only have to look at what is available space-wise, but you have to look at the soil and the rock geology if you’re going to be building a lake,” Baumgardner said. “You need to look at how you can interconnect your sources and maybe maximize what you already have.”
She said the authority’s water pollution control plant currently cleans about 32 million gallons of wastewater per day, which is then returned to replenish the Roanoke River. Baumgardner said some of that treated water could potentially be redirected for commercial, non-potable use as part of a new infrastructure system.
“So lots of different options — looking at building a source, tapping into existing sources, maximizing current sources,” she said. “And that’s the reason we’re going to be doing all these studies.”
As part of its agreement with the Water Authority, Google will pay for an initial study examining all possible options for a new regional water source. Botetourt County will then fund a second, more detailed study to identify the best option.
Baumgardner said the authority hopes to have initial information from consultants within the next month or two, though she said she did not have an estimate for when the full studies would be completed.
Lockaby said Google will have to pay for any water infrastructure improvements the data center requires. He said Google will also have to pay some or all of the costs of creating a new water source, depending on how much of that source it uses.
Baumgardner said the large portion of funding for a new water source would be led by Botetourt County, which had identified the need for additional water as a driving goal when it joined the Western Virginia Water Authority in 2015. She said other member jurisdictions would also contribute.
“We’re not looking at this being a cost that all our rate payers have to solely bear,” Baumgardner said. “We want this to be an equitable water source.”
The Water Authority said Google will be treated as any other rate payer and will cover all costs associated with its own usage. Officials said the millions of gallons Google draws from Carvins Cove will not affect residential water bills.
“Google is going to be no different than any other customer,” Baumgardner said. “They’ll have a meter, we will know exactly how much water they use, and they will be charged for the water they use.”
Water rates may still increase over time as costs for electricity and treatment chemicals rise, Baumgardner said, but she said those increases would not be tied to Google’s usage.
The water authority will host an open house on March 10 at the Greenridge Rec Center to share information about its operations and answer questions about the Google Data Center.
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