The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched the Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP) 2.0 on April 16, which emphasizes reuse for data centers, industry, and energy providers.
The EPA stated the plan transforms wastewater into clean, reliable water that can power American industry while preserving freshwater resources to deliver high quality drinking water to the American people.
“In the years since the original WRAP was launched, our nation’s water needs have changed rapidly,” EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi said. “WRAP 2.0 is a comprehensive strategy that will target ways we can reuse water resources to strengthen key sectors of our economy while protecting human health and the environment.”
WRAP 2.0 is not a federal regulatory mandate. It is a plan that highlights water reuse strategies already underway, introduces new federal commitments, and charts a course for transformational progress over the next decade.
WRAP 2.0 is organized around three high-impact initiatives:
- Supporting Reuse for Resurgent Domestic Industry: Component fabrication (e.g., bottles and batteries), finished products (e.g., food and beverage products, cars, and trucks), and agricultural production
- Water for the U.S. Technology Revolution: Microchip and memory fabrication and data center cooling
- Unleashing American Energy Dominance: Electricity generation and energy development.
The section highlighting data center cooling cites examples of reuse already being utilized around the country. Among the examples are a non-potable reclaimed water from the Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility providing cooling water to support the growing demand of data centers in Loudon County outside Washington, D.C.
Also mentioned is Google cooling its data centers in Douglas County, Georgia, with recycled municipal wastewater that would otherwise be deposited in the Chattahoochee River.
“As water use for AI becomes an increasing topic of discussion, it’s critical that we tackle it head on and WRAP 2.0 is a major leap forward in strengthening our water resources for AI, for farmers, and for all Americans,” U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) said.
NGWA recently underscored the critical role groundwater professionals play in helping communities manage water resources responsibly as data centers expand across the United States with the Association’s latest position paper and a three-part series in its monthly trade magazine, Water Well Journal.
The position paper notes that data center growth must be planned and managed in a manner that protects groundwater resources that are relied upon by communities and ecosystems. It adds that policymakers, regulators, and data center developers need to incorporate groundwater sustainability into siting, permitting, and operational decisions, including clear disclosure of water sources and use.
Both the position paper and three-part article series can be found on the Associations' website dedicated to data centers titled Issue: Data Centers and Groundwater.
NGWA will host a members-only webinar, Data Centers and Groundwater: What NGWA Members Need to Know, on August 5. Click here to register.