Virginia senators push for groundwater review and possible statewide data center moratorium

Two Virginia state senators have called on the governor to convene a special legislative session to address what they describe as "serious and immediate strain" on the state's groundwater supply, a pressure they attribute in part to the rapid expansion of data centers. The bipartisan letter, signed by Republican Richard Stuart and Democrat Russet Perry, follows the release of a Virginia Department of Environmental Quality report that modeled the potential impact of groundwater withdrawals from "newer industries such as data centers" by assuming a daily draw of three million gallons at the centroid of each groundwater budget region.

The senators noted that lawmakers had been unable to review the report during the regular legislative session because it was published after the session had adjourned and the state budget had already been enacted. The report itself warned that data centers could "significantly impact groundwater resources, and it is essential to evaluate the historical, current, and potential future impacts of such activities on the Commonwealth's groundwater supply."

According to estimates cited from Fairfax County, data centers in Virginia consume approximately 90 to 100 gallons of water per day per 1,000 square feet of facility space. That translates to an estimated three million gallons of daily water use for an IT load of around 1GW across 31.6 million square feet. The report also noted that a typical hyperscale data center with 100MW of capacity would be expected to use roughly 300,000 gallons of water per day, though actual consumption varies significantly based on design and operational choices. While many older facilities rely on evaporative cooling systems that require large volumes of water, newer facilities increasingly adopt closed-loop systems that recirculate water, and some Virginia sites already use treated wastewater for cooling.

The call for a groundwater review comes amid mounting pressure for a broader pause on data center development in the state. Last week, Republican state senator Glen Sturtevant urged Governor Abigail Spanberger to issue an immediate statewide moratorium on new data center projects. In his letter, Sturtevant said the surge of proposals in Chesterfield County had brought the issue into "sharp focus" for his constituents, but stressed that the "consequences of Virginia's data center expansion extend far beyond any single locality."

Virginia remains the largest data center market in the world, with roughly 11GW of operational capacity and around 200 facilities in Loudoun County alone. Citing findings from the state's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Sturtevant said data center growth is the primary driver behind forecasts that Virginia's electricity demand could double within a decade. "Virginia has no credible plan to meet the enormous new demand reliably and affordably," he said. "The question is no longer simply how to regulate more data centers. It is whether Virginia can accommodate data center development at all."

Sturtevant's position has drawn support from Democrat Louise Lucas, president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate, who said the "status quo cannot continue." Lucas added that "a statewide moratorium is a serious proposal that deserves serious consideration." The growing bipartisan concern reflects a shifting political landscape in a state that has long welcomed data center investment but now faces mounting questions about water, power, and long-term planning.