Water demand for Spartanburg data center more than doubles original estimate

NorthMark Compute and Cloud said its planned data center in Spartanburg County could use significantly more water than previously reported.

In a social media post Monday, the company said the facility is projected to use an average of 1.2 million gallons of water per day at full buildout, with a projected maximum of 1.6 million gallons per day. NorthMark previously reported the project would use about 459,000 gallons of water per day.

The company said the original figure came from a Phase I wastewater survey and did not represent the facility’s projected water demand at full buildout.

NorthMark said it provided the higher water-demand figures to Spartanburg Water on Feb. 11, 2026, as part of the project’s Large Water Meter Questionnaire. The company said Spartanburg Water has reaffirmed that it has enough capacity to serve the project without negatively affecting existing or future customers.

Spartanburg County Commissioner of Public Works Dr. Octavia Amaechi responded to NorthMark’s update, saying she is concerned about the change in projected water demand.

“I am concerned by the magnitude of this change,” she said. “Transparency, accurate information, responsible stewardship of our resources, & accountability to the public matter as well.”

Amaechi said capacity is not her only concern and that she has questions about how the projections changed, how much water would be used day to day, and what the demand could mean for long-term water use.

NorthMark said it remains committed to transparency and welcomes questions about the project’s water use, supply and wastewater plans.