51ÁÔĆć

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

Data center with elements of water and waves in the background.

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 & Melissa K. Scanlan, Spring 2025 Symposium Special Edition, Powering Progress or Peril? The Hidden Environmental Costs of Data Centers and AI, 51 Rutgers Comput. & Tech. L. J. SE1 (2025). [

 
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) 

New water economics published papers from faculty and former grad student

Our freshwater policy and economics faculty and a former M.S. thesis student have new papers in publications.

±Ę°ů´Ç´Ú±đ˛ő˛ő´Ç°ůĚýJames Price published a new paper in Land Economics. Price, J., Dupont, D., Adamowicz, W., & Lloyd-Smith, P. (2025). Protecting against flood impacts: A choice experiment evaluating household preferences for insurance and home infrastructure improvements. DOI: 

School of Freshwater Sciences alum Susan Borchardt, and Professors Tracy BoyerĚý˛ą˛Ô»ĺĚýJames Price published a paper in Lake and Reservoir Management. Sue Borchardt is a former MS Thesis Student (graduated in Spring 2024, advised by James Price). Borchardt, S., Boyer, T., & Price, J. (2025). Valuing shoreland development and environmental disturbances: A hedonic analysis of lakefront properties in Wisconsin. DOI: 

CWP Director Melissa Scanlan featured on 620 WTMJ News

Center for Water Policy Director and Lynde B. Uihlein Endowed Chair and Professor Melissa 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. 

“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.” 

Check out more of the Center’s work on data centers on their publicationsĚý˛ą˛Ô»ĺĚýnewsĚý±č˛ą˛µ±đ˛ő!Ěý

Read Full Article

Summer students learn the ropes of fish farming

Student interns hold a net in the water at a fish farm.

Article excerpt from Wisconsin Sea Grant

Some people revel in the dog days of summer, but for a dozen aquaculture interns, the season was all about fish.

In partnership with Wisconsin Sea Grant and funded through a grant from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, the interns were stationed at aquaculture facilities across the state, working alongside mentors to get hands-on experience raising and caring for fish. According to Wisconsin Sea Grant food-fish coordinator Sharon Moen, who led the project alongside aquaculture specialists Emma Hauser and Dong-Fang Deng, the purpose of the internships was to build awareness of fish farming and offer training opportunities for young people.

“We couldn’t be happier with the way this first-time program unfolded,” said Moen. “The students and mentors gained so much during a short 10 weeks.”

Raising fish was not the only new skill the interns acquired. They learned how to manage projects, work on a team, and — importantly — embrace the many utilitarian wonders of PVC pipes and power tools.

Among the aquaculture facilities across the state, undergraduate interns worked with Kyle Freimuth, a graduate student at 51ÁÔĆć School of Freshwater Sciences, at Northey Farms in Deerfield, Wisconsin, a fish farm that uses both outdoor ponds and a recirculating aquaculture system to raise yellow perch.

Freimuth got a crash course in farm management. He developed a system for interns to track daily water quality, allocate tasks, and communicate with the farm owner. “I feel good about the work,” said Freimuth. “I was able to see all the little things that we were able to do to better care for the fish.”

Another set of interns kept busy learning about fish care and nutrition in the lab of Wisconsin Sea Grant aquaculture outreach and extension specialist Dong-Fang Deng. Interns worked on various tasks, including cleaning tanks, sorting fish, and pursuing individual projects, which ranged from the effects of microplastics on fish growth to incorporating novel ingredients like black soldier fly oil and soy cake into fish food.


51ÁÔĆć awarded nearly $1M in grants for freshwater research

The Freshwater Collaborative has awarded Universities of Wisconsin schools $4.2 million to support water education and research programs across the state. Of that total, UW-Milwaukee received nearly $1 million in grants. Dean Rebecca Klaper was interviewed for and says their research is important because freshwater is integral to all Wisconsinites.

“Water really is important for everything about Wisconsin’s way of life, from our public health and our drinking water to fishing and boating and being on the many, many lakes that we have here in Wisconsin to our industry partners who use water directly in their products to cool off power plants to use for agriculture,” Klaper said. 

The funding will target already successful programs at universities including undergraduate student freshwater research. It addresses some of Wisconsin’s most pressing water issues — freshwater contamination, data centers and lead pipe replacement. 

According to the collaborative, the grants will fund 19 projects that will involve students and staff from all 13 schools in the UW System.

Read Full Article

Chicago Tribune: Surging number of data centers around the Great Lakes could lead to water shortages

Data centers require massive volumes of water to operate, and the growing use of artificial intelligence means more of these centers are popping up in water-abundant regions such as the Great Lakes. However, despite their access to the vast bodies of water, not all communities in or near the Great Lakes basin have the capacity to sustainably support this industry, experts say.

A new Chicago Tribune article highlights how the rapid growth of data centers across the Great Lakes region could strain already finite water resources. Data centers use enormous volumes of water to keep servers cool, and the rise of artificial intelligence is accelerating their spread into water-abundant regions like the Great Lakes.

The article features insights from Center for Water Policy Director Melissa Scanlan, who underscores that while the Great Lakes are vast, they are not limitless: “Those of us who work in this space think of the Great Lakes more as a finite resource.”

Read the article here:  | Chicago Tribune

Read our report here:   | American Bar Association

Freshwater Colloquium Series – Fall 2025

Freshwater Sciences Colloquium Series banner with waves below

The School of Freshwater Sciences’ Freshwater Colloquium creates a platform for students, faculty and scientists to discuss their research and emergent issues related to freshwater resources. Presentations are open to the public.

All events will take place on Mondays from 3:00 – 3:50 p.m. in-person in the GLRF Ballroom.

The School of Freshwater Sciences Great Lakes Research Facility, is located at 600 E. Greenfield Ave.

Fall 2025

Most talks scheduled for the Fall 2025 Freshwater Colloquium Series will highlight research and emergent issues related to freshwater resources. No sign up required. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early and enjoy provided refreshments.

September 15Runoff on the Runway: How Airports Shape Our Streams
Owen Stefaniak, U.S. Geological Survey
September 29First Flush: Rapid Interdisciplinary Response to a 5 Billion Gallon Combined Sewer Overflow
Dr. Russell Cuhel, 51ÁÔĆć School of Freshwater Sciences
October 6Pollution History of Black Carbon (Soot), Toxic Metals and PFAS in Green Bay Over the Past Century
Samantha Krueger & Dr. Laodong Guo, 51ÁÔĆć School of Freshwater Sciences
October 20Troubled Waters: Impacts of Emerging Contaminants on Early Life Stages of Fish
Dr. Tisha King-Heiden, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
October 27Changing Global Water Tables Over The Past 21,000 Years
Dr. Kerry Callaghan, University of Illinois Chicago
November 10Sources, Fate, and Effects of PFAS Mixtures in Great Lakes Ecosystems and Native Fishes
Dr. Rachel Leads, Michigan State University
November 17Tracking and Modeling Pathogens in Water Systems: From Watersheds to Wastewater Treatment
Dr. Maria Steadmon, 51ÁÔĆć School of Freshwater Sciences
December 1Fate of Plastics in the Environment: From Legacy Pollutants to Emergent Metals
Dr. Melissa Maurer-Jones, University of Minnesota-Duluth
Fall 2025 Colloquium Schedule.

Guo Lab: new published paper and presentations at meetings

Dr. Laodong Guo and Postdoctoral Research Associate Shimaa Kteeba coauthored a new research paper titled “UV-induced release and characterization of dissolved organic matter from disposable face mask layers and polypropylene” that was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials. The paper highlights:

  • All mask plies are susceptible to UV weathering, with DOM yields following SFM>N95 > KN95.
  • Aromaticity and molecular weight in FMs-derived DOM decreased generally during UV-irradiation.
  • Three major fluorescent components were identified in every mask each with unique DOM composition.
  • SEM images revealed clear fiber fragmentation after UV-irradiation.

Guo’s lab also has presented at various meetings and conferences recently. Dr. Guo attended the the 2025 Goldschmidt Meeting during 6-11 July 2025 in Prague, Czech Republic, and presented a paper on “Depositional history of PFAS in the bay of Green Bay in Lake Michigan over the last 80 years.”

At the ACS Fall Meeting during August in Washington DC, lab members Wenxin Zhang, Shimaa Kteeba, and Guo presented “Ultrafiltration permeation behavior and partitioning of PFAS between dissolved and colloidal phases.” Additionally, Kteeba, Krueger and Guo presented Yields and characterization of microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter from various polymers under different leaching conditions.”

Congratulations to Dr. Guo and his lab team members!

New policy brief on abandoned boats from Center for Water Policy

Large boat stuck on the Lake Michigan shore with graffiti on the side of the boat.

Abandoned boats are being left on the shores of Wisconsin’s rivers and lakes. Not only are these boats difficult and expensive to remove, but it can be unclear who is responsible for removing them when the owner will not or cannot. After months of watching one of these boats sit on the shores of Milwaukee throughout the winter and well into the spring, Wisconsin lawmakers proposed changing state policy to address the state’s abandoned boat problem. In the policy brief below, we take a deeper look at the issue, the proposed legislation, and potential responsive actions that could deter boat owners from abandoning vessels while at the same time quickening government response time for boat removals. 

Citation:
Ehrlich , E., Scanlan, M. (2025). Abandoned Boats in State Waters: Achieving a Clear and Efficient Response in Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Publications

Read Policy Brief

Professor Emeritus receives American Meteorological Society award for teaching

Professor Emeritus Jonathan Kahl has received one of the 2026 awards from the (AMS). The AMS recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations of the weather, water, and climate community through its Awards and Honors program annually. Dr. Kahl is the recipient of the Edward N. Norenz Teaching Excellence Award, which is for transformative teaching and mentoring, seminal contributions to education literature, and for implementing international learning experiences that inspired generations of atmospheric scientists. He will officially receive his award at the 106th AMS Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas (January 25-29, 2026).

Kahl recently retired at the end of the Spring 2025 semester. His research areas consist of air pollution methodology, long-range atmospheric transport, air trajectory modeling and enhancing science education using technology. Since 2010, Kahl has been the director of the 51ÁÔĆć Atmospheric Science Study Abroad in Mexico: Air Pollution and Ancient Cultures. This unique program is offered every January during the UWinteriM mini-semester. He also has offered the 40-50 hour course Meteorological Aspects of Air Pollution at a Mexican university each summer and is an author of seven children’s books about meteorology including The National Audubon Society First Field Guide to Weather (Scholastic, 1998).