Data center giant secures $14 million deal to consume 40% of Pennsylvania town’s excess water
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
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The $14.1 million agreement allows the data center to access up to 400,000 gallons of water per day, equivalent to the consumption of 2,367 dwelling units, as reported by PennLive.
Middlesex Township Supervisor Phil Neiderer claims the revenue from the deal will fund local projects, stating "it's going to fund a lot of projects that have already been in the books that are completely unrelated to the data center," despite resident concerns over water use, pollution, and utility rates.
The project highlights the growing controversy surrounding AI data centers, with a study in Nature Sustainability finding that they could soon consume as much water as 10 million Americans and emit as much carbon dioxide as 10 million cars, according to CNBC and Monitoring Analytics president Joe Bowring.
