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Journalist in residence Dan Egan calls for action to protect Great Lakes

Last weekend, Dan Egan, Center for Water Policy journalist in residence, traveled to Canandaigua, NY to speak to residents of the finger lakes about the threats facing fresh water. Egan’s talk focused on phosphorus and toxic algal blooms, which are the topics of his 2023 book “The Devil’s Element.” His talk emphasized the need for action from both individual landowners and the federal government to control toxic algae.Ěý

? You can read a full summary of Egan’s talk here:  

? And listen to him speak about phosphorus here: /centerforwaterpolicy/phosphorus-lessons-for-10-years-of-numeric-standards-for-wisconsins-waters-conference-report/ 

Center for Water Policy Director Melissa ScanlanĚýFeatured in Down to Earth Article on India’s Data Center Industry

Center for Water Policy Director, Professor, and Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair Melissa Scanlan was featured in a recent Down To Earth article exploring the hidden environmental costs of India’s rapidly expanding data center industry, particularly its massive and often opaque water consumption amid growing local water stress.

Professor Scanlan noted, “Air-based cooling systems don’t use water directly but still have an indirect water footprint through the electricity required to power them.” If the electricity source is fossil fuel-based, the environmental burden remains high.Ěý

Read the full story here:Ěý

Check out more of our work on data centers and water policy on our publications and news pages!

Center for Water Policy Director Melissa ScanlanĚýFeatured in Straight Arrow News on Data CenterĚýWater Consumption, Community ImpactĚý

Center for Water Policy Director, Professor, and Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair Melissa Scanlan was featured in a recent Straight Arrow News article about data centers’ water and energy consumption, and how they impact local communities.  

InĚýthe article, Professor Scanlan contextualized the growth of the data center industry, which, according to the Lawrence BerkleyĚýLab, consumedĚý228Ěýbillion gallonsĚýof water in 2023.ĚýĚý

“That’s about the amount of water that would be needed for more than 7.6 million Americans,” Scanlan said, which is about the population of Arizona.  

When key consumption data isn’t disclosed, she said that it can create a power and information imbalance that makes it difficult for communities to make informed decisions. 

“That just leads to greater distrust,” Scanlan said, with a result of “more people opposing an industry that could be actually potentially very positive.” 

Read the full story here:   

Check out more of the Center’s work onĚýdata centers and water policyĚýonĚýourĚýpublicationsĚýandĚýnewsĚýpages!Ěý

Center for Water Policy Director Melissa Scanlan Featured in Wisconsin Examiner Story on Statewide Oversight of Data CentersĚý

Center for Water Policy Director, Professor, and Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair Melissa Scanlan was featured in a recent Wisconsin Examiner article examining the rapid growth of large-scale data centers across Wisconsin and their implications for the state’s water and energy systems. The article explores the mounting local debates surrounding data centers, particularly concerns over electricity demand, water use, and the lack of a coordinated statewide approach to managing these developments. 

Professor Scanlan emphasized the need for comprehensive, statewide oversight to ensure that Wisconsin’s resources are managed sustainably: 

“There should be a state-level review of all of the potential proposals, so that the state can assess the impact on electricity generation and water supply,” Scanlan said. “Doing it in a piecemeal way, where you’ve got local governments deciding about hosting, but then utilities that are committed to supplying the electricity and water, is going to very quickly bump up against the realities of our ability to generate electricity in a responsible way.” 

Read the full story here:  

Check out more of our work on data centers and water policy on our publications and news pages!

New Short ?: The School of Freshwater Sciences in Milwaukee’s Inner Harbor

? Explore how the School of Freshwater Sciences has helped transform and continues to influence Milwaukee’s relationship with its harbor and the Great Lakes in the Center’s new short video.  

The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences is an anchor in Milwaukee’s Inner Harbor community, helping to transform this area of legacy industrial contamination into a vibrant, connected waterfront. 

What began as an effort toĚýconnect theĚýuniversityĚýto the city’s redevelopmentĚýhas grown into an ongoing story of innovation, sustainability, and urban renewal.ĚýTheĚýSchoolĚýbringsĚýwater, design, and communityĚýtogether toĚýadvance research, education, and policy on freshwaterĚýurban systems.Ěý

Watch the new short video by Cami Armendariz, our 2024-2026 Water Policy and Science Communications Fellow.

Learn more about the Center’s ongoing research and prior work with Milwaukee’s harbor and waterfront redevelopment below:
Short Video?
Publications: Is the Proposed Dredged Material Management Facility an Opportunity for the Community?

Center for Water Policy Director Melissa Scanlan Featured in NPR Story on Data Centers’ Environmental ImpactĚý

A construction crew works on a CloudHQ data center in 2024 in Northern Virginia.

Center for Water Policy Director, Professor & Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair ĚýMelissa Scanlan was featured in a recent NPR article examining the rapid expansion of data centers across the United States and the accompanying environmental challenges. The article highlights increasing public opposition to data center projects, citing worries over electricity demand, climate impacts, and a lack of transparency around water and energy use.Ěý

She commented that the Great Lakes states are seeing the “rollout of what these massive investments in data centers are potentially going to start to look like on the ground.”  

Read the full story on NPR:  

Check out more of our work on data centers and water policy on our publications and news pages!  

Join the Conversation: The Environmental Impact of Data Centers in Wisconsin

As data centers continue to expand across Wisconsin, questions are growing about their impacts on our water, energy, and communities.

On October 15, come to Saukville at Riveredge Nature Center from 6:30-8:30pm, and join experts from Midwest Environmental Advocates and the Center for Water Policy at UW-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences for a discussion with Riveredge Nature Center Director John Rakowski on:


– Data center water consumption and electricity use
– Transparency and public accountability in data center projects
– Insights into the recently approved Port Washington data center


This panel will highlight the facts, the need for transparency, and ways the public can get involved in community feedback. Audience Q&A included! For more information on the location of Riveredge Nature Center and to register, click .

Remember to read our most recent article, published in Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal: Powering Progress or Peril? The Hidden Environmental Costs of Data Centers and AI

Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal Published “Powering Progress or Peril? The Hidden Environmental Costs of Data Centers and AI”Ěý

Data centers are rapidly developing across the country to meet demands for artificial intelligence, data storage, and cloud computing. But their environmental impact, especially regarding water use, is largely obscured from public view.  

That’s the subject of the Center for Water Policy’s recent article. Water Policy Specialist Peyton McCauley, Interim Assistant Director Cora Sutherland, and Director Melissa Scanlan investigate the environmental footprint of data centers. Some data centers use as much as one-quarter of local water supplies, which has raised alarm.  However, the industry’s collective impact isn’t transparent; incomplete government records, inconsistent voluntary reporting, and limited reporting requirements produce fragmented data.     

Ultimately, this published academic research sheds light on the hidden water use of our increasing reliance on AI-data centers and highlights the need for greater sustainability and transparency in the industry. 

 
Quick Facts: What you need to know 

  • Incomplete Environmental Data. While incomplete, early evidence suggests data centers are undermining decarbonization and water conservation progress.  
  • Massive Amounts of Water. Lawrence Berkeley Lab estimated that in 2023 U.S. data centers consumed 228 billion gallons of water.  
  • Lack of Transparency. In addition to obscured data showing environmental impacts, there’s very little public debate or analysis before data centers are announced.  This undermines local control and the ability to understand and make informed decisions about hosting data centers.  

 
Read the research:  

Peyton McCauley, Cora Sutherland and Melissa Scanlan, Spring 2025 Symposium Special Edition, Powering Progress or Peril? The Hidden Environmental Costs of Data Centers and AI, .

 
Check out CWP’s previous work and involvement on data centers: 

| Chicago Tribune, featuring quotes from CWP Director Melissa Scanlan (September 2025) 

| The Conversation (August 2025)  

  | American Bar Association (April 2025) 

CWP Director Melissa Scanlan Featured in LancasterOnline Article on Data Centers’ Water UseĚý

Center for Water Policy Director, Professor & Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed ChairĚýMelissa Scanlan was featured in a LancasterOnline article discussing data centers’ water use. She noted that the industry’s rapid growth and reliance on confidentiality agreements often make it difficult for communities to evaluate the true impact of facilities before they are approved.Ěý

“The communities don’t really know what they’re getting until the facilities are built, and everything is in motion and hard to stop at that point,” she said. 

Read the full article . 

Check out more of our work on data centers on our publications and news pages! 

CWP Director Melissa Scanlan Featured on 620 WTMJ News

Center for Water Policy Director, Professor & Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed ChairĚýMelissa Scanlan was featured in a 620 WTMJ radio segment and news article talking about data centers. In it, she suggests ways to overcome fragmented information on the industry’s water use and overall impact on the Great Lakes region.Ěý

“How many straws are going into the Great Lakes over the next decade for data centers and their power plants in the four states surrounding Lake Michigan—that is the holistic view that is needed,” she said. “We need a governmental body to review the entire regional demands.” 

Read the full article . 

Check out more of our work on data centers on our publications and news pages!