Data Center Project Estimated To Use More Than One Million Gallons Of Water Per Day

A controversial data center project is now estimated to use more than double the daily water the company initially projected.

NorthMark Compute and Cloud, the company behind the $3 billion Valara Data Center project in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, said the data center is expected to use an average of 1.2 million gallons of water per day once fully built.

“NorthMark Compute and Cloud recently identified that we previously communicated dated information on our water needs to the public. At full buildout, the facility is projected to use an average of 1.2 million gallons per day, with a projected maximum of 1.6 million gallons per day,” the company said in a statement on social media.

“The previously shared figure of 459,000 gallons per day came from a Phase I wastewater survey and did not represent the facility’s projected water demand at full buildout. The higher water-demand figures were provided to Spartanburg Water on February 11, 2026, as part of the project’s Large Water Meter Questionnaire,” the statement continued.

“People should be able to rely on the information we provide, and we are correcting our statements while revalidating other publicly shared numbers. Spartanburg Water has reaffirmed that the project’s total demand is within its capacity and that it can serve the project without negatively affecting existing or future customers. We remain committed to transparency and welcome questions about the project’s water use, supply, and wastewater plans,” it added.

Unbelievable—Spartanburg, South Carolina proposed $3 Billion Valara Data Center project just went from an estimated 459,000 gallons of water a day to 1.2 MILLION—with peak usage potentially hitting 1.6 MILLION GALLONS DAILY!

That’s more than 2.6× the original estimate.

…

— Kelly McCarty (@KellyLMcCarty) September 22, 2026

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WSPA shared further:

A month after NorthMark reportedly provided the higher figure to Spartanburg Water, the utility provider asked Spartanburg residents to voluntarily restrict their water usage due to an ongoing drought.

In August, Spartanburg Water lifted those voluntary water restrictions as drought conditions improved, though a recent report from South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said Spartanburg County still shows early stages of drought conditions.

Last week, the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, approved a permit for the data center to build and operate 11 combustion turbines to power the data center.

The approval came despite hundreds of residents packing a June 25 DES meeting to review plans for the data center and voiced objections to the project.

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Dr. Octavia Amaechi, the Commissioner of Public Works, expressed concern over the company’s latest projected water demand for the data center project.

“I am concerned by the magnitude of this change. While current analysis indicates that Spartanburg Water has the capacity to serve the revised demand, capacity is not my only concern. Transparency, accurate information, responsible stewardship of our resources, & accountability to the public matter as well,” Amaechi said, according to WSPA.

“I have questions about how these projections changed, what portion represents actual day-to-day water consumption, & what this means for long-term water use. I will continue asking those questions & seeking clarity. Our community deserves accurate information about significant demands on a resource as essential as water,” Amaechi continued.

Spartanburg County leaders question pollution monitoring as Valara data center adds more turbines pic.twitter.com/2krkitBqBN

— FOX Carolina News (@foxcarolinanews) September 22, 2026

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More from Hilton Head Island Packet:

At a special meeting of the Spartanburg County Council public safety subcommittee on Sept. 21, Sara Martinez, an environmental attorney working with Valara, made the case that the company has gone the extra mile to limit pollution.

Council member Grant DeShields said Valara has agreed to allow the county to implement enhanced monitoring close the data center property.

The public safety committee held three fact-gathering sessions as part of the council’s discussions about a proposed one-year moratorium on new data centers in the county.

Responding to community members who worry about the impacts of the data center and power plant, county council members considered including Valara in the moratorium.

DeShields and Monier Abusaft, who serve on the public safety committee, said they did not see conclusive evidence that the Valara facility presents a major risk to nearby residents.

“There is no basis” for adding Valara to the one-year data center ban because of public safety and health concerns, Abusaft said.

SELC criticized the council’s decision to let the Valara project move forward as well as its process for recruiting the company to Spartanburg.

“We remain concerned about the lack of transparency and the health risks associated with this data center and power plant,” said attorney Wannaker.

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