{"id":1314941,"date":"2026-03-19T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/?p=1314941"},"modified":"2026-03-19T10:41:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T15:41:17","slug":"wisconsin-data-center-water-olympic-swimming-pools-microsoft-mount-pleasant-racine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-data-center-water-olympic-swimming-pools-microsoft-mount-pleasant-racine\/","title":{"rendered":"Is a claim that a massive data center will use only 4 Olympic swimming pools of water per year accurate?","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\"><b>Reading Time: <\/b><\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span>\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:26% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"782\" height=\"409\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Wisconsin_Watch_fact_brief.jpg?resize=782%2C409&#038;quality=100&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1278996 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Wisconsin_Watch_fact_brief.jpg?resize=782%2C409&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 782w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Wisconsin_Watch_fact_brief.jpg?resize=336%2C176&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Wisconsin_Watch_fact_brief.jpg?resize=140%2C73&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Wisconsin_Watch_fact_brief.jpg?resize=768%2C401&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Wisconsin_Watch_fact_brief.jpg?resize=400%2C209&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Wisconsin_Watch_fact_brief.jpg?w=1200&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Wisconsin_Watch_fact_brief-782x409.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 782px) 100vw, 782px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsinwatch.org\/\">Wisconsin Watch<\/a><\/em> partners with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/gigafact.org\/\">Gigafact<\/a>&nbsp;to produce Fact Briefs \u2014 bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. <a href=\"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2023\/05\/how-wisconsin-watch-checks-claims-for-its-gigafact-fact-briefs\/\">Read our methodology<\/a> to learn how we check claims.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized wp-container-content-88a6062c\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gigafact-app-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/factBriefImage.jpeg?quality=100&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:150px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Microsoft data centers in Mount Pleasant in southeast Wisconsin are projected to use much more water annually than would fill four Olympic-size pools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Water to operate the facilities, including for <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/data-centers-consume-massive-amounts-of-water-companies-rarely-tell-the-public-exactly-how-much-262901\">cooling<\/a>, will be supplied by the city of Racine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first data center, <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/save\/https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/on-the-issues\/2025\/09\/18\/made-in-wisconsin-the-worlds-most-powerful-ai-datacenter\/\">described<\/a> by Microsoft as \u201cthe world\u2019s most powerful data center,\u201d is expected to begin operation in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Racine <a href=\"https:\/\/midwestadvocates.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/MKE-Regional-Demands-030124.pdf\">projects<\/a> that facility will use 2.81 million gallons of water (roughly four Olympic pools) in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But a second data center is also under construction and a 15-center expansion is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/mount-pleasant-approves-microsoft-data-center-expansion\">planned.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Racine projects total water usage will be 8.44 million gallons annually (roughly 12 pools).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The projections don&#8217;t include water that will be needed to generate electricity to fuel the data centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory <a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/centerforwaterpolicy\/data-centers-consume-massive-amounts-of-water-companies-rarely-tell-the-public-exactly-how-much\/\">estimated<\/a> in 2024 that 92.5% of the water U.S. data centers used was to generate electricity, 7.5% for cooling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as <a href=\"https:\/\/mkeregion.com\/clientuploads\/Data_Center_Files\/DC-Water-Consumption_(3).pdf\">this one<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul><li>The Conversation: <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/data-centers-consume-massive-amounts-of-water-companies-rarely-tell-the-public-exactly-how-much-262901\" target=\"_blank\">Data centers consume massive amounts of water \u2013 companies rarely tell the public exactly how much<\/a><\/li><li>Microsoft: <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/save\/https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/on-the-issues\/2025\/09\/18\/made-in-wisconsin-the-worlds-most-powerful-ai-datacenter\/\" target=\"_blank\">Made in Wisconsin: The world\u2019s most powerful AI datacenter<\/a><\/li><li>City of Racine Water Utility: <a href=\"https:\/\/midwestadvocates.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/MKE-Regional-Demands-030124.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Mount Pleasant data center water projections<\/a><\/li><li>WPR: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/mount-pleasant-approves-microsoft-data-center-expansion\" target=\"_blank\">Mount Pleasant commission approves Microsoft\u2019s plans for data center expansion<\/a><\/li><li>Badger Institute: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/claims-of-data-center-water-use-are-laughably-wrong\/\" target=\"_blank\">Claims of data center water use are laughably wrong<\/a><\/li><li>WPR: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/microsoft-data-centers-8-million-gallons-water-each-year\" target=\"_blank\">Microsoft data centers will use up to 8.4M gallons of water each year, records show<\/a><\/li><li>Midwest Environmental Advocates: <a href=\"https:\/\/midwestadvocates.org\/our-work\/legal-action\/demanding-transparency-about-the-environmental-impacts-of-data-centers\/\" target=\"_blank\">Demanding Data Center Transparency &#8211; City of Racine<\/a><\/li><li>Clean Wisconsin: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cleanwisconsin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251103_DateCenterOffsiteWaterUseAnalysis.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Analysis: Offsite Water Use of Data Centers<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles  wpnbha is-grid columns-2 colgap-3 show-image image-alignleft ts-2 is-3 is-landscape  has-text-color has-dark-gray-color\"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"1314941\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span><a href=\"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/series\/fact-briefs\/\">Read More Fact Briefs<\/a><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1315009\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-at-will tag-employment tag-firing tag-gigafact tag-hidert tag-hiring tag-wisconsin category-fact-briefs type-of-work-fact-check type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-can-employers-fire-workers-for-any-reason-termination-at-will\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-food-security.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Can employers fire workers for any reason in Wisconsin and nearly every other state?\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-food-security.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-food-security.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-food-security.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-food-security.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-food-security.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-food-security.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 782px) 300px, (min-width: 600px) 42.5vw, 90vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-can-employers-fire-workers-for-any-reason-termination-at-will\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Can employers fire workers for any reason in Wisconsin and nearly every other state?<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"1314950\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-aging tag-average-age tag-gigafact tag-hidert tag-wisconsin category-fact-briefs type-of-work-fact-check type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-population-age-older-than-national-average-demographic-baby-boomer\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-science.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Is Wisconsin\u2019s population older than the national average?\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-science.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-science.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-science.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-science.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-science.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-science.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 782px) 300px, (min-width: 600px) 42.5vw, 90vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-population-age-older-than-national-average-demographic-baby-boomer\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Is Wisconsin\u2019s population older than the national average?<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gigafact.org\/fact-brief-quiz\/wisconsinwatch\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"782\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?resize=782%2C440&#038;quality=100&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Think you know the facts? Put your knowledge to the test. Take the Fact Brief quiz\" class=\"wp-image-1300309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?resize=782%2C440&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 782w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?resize=336%2C189&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?resize=140%2C79&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C865&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C676&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C577&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?resize=1568%2C883&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?resize=400%2C225&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?resize=706%2C398&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/take_fact_brief_quiz.ea0075f4-1-782x440.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=100&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 782px) 100vw, 782px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No. Microsoft data centers in Mount Pleasant in southeast Wisconsin are projected to use much more water annually than would fill four Olympic-size pools.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":782,"featured_media":1300454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"gigafact_has_fact_brief":true,"gigafact_remote_fact_brief_post_id":13777,"gigafact_remote_sync_timestamp":"1773934875","gigafact_remote_sync_status":"Success","gigafact_remote_sync_response":"{\"statusCode\":200,\"message\":\"Fact brief saved successfully\",\"post_id\":13777}","gigafact_has_been_published":true,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"hidden","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[6717],"tags":[19400,19454,19307,6718,5117,3670,19452,1507,676],"partner":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"type-of-work":[3490],"coauthors":[7663],"class_list":["post-1314941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-briefs","tag-data-centers","tag-data-centers-watch","tag-electricity","tag-gigafact","tag-hidert","tag-mount-pleasant","tag-pools","tag-racine","tag-water","type-of-work-fact-check","entry"],"fact_brief":{"destination_url":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-data-center-water-olympic-swimming-pools-microsoft-mount-pleasant-racine\/","domain_name":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org","factbrief_corrections":"","factbrief_details":"<p>Microsoft data centers in Mount Pleasant in southeast Wisconsin are projected to use much more water annually than would fill four Olympic-size pools.<\/p><p>Water to operate the facilities, including for <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/data-centers-consume-massive-amounts-of-water-companies-rarely-tell-the-public-exactly-how-much-262901\">cooling<\/a>, will be supplied by the city of Racine.<\/p><p>The first data center, <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/save\/https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/on-the-issues\/2025\/09\/18\/made-in-wisconsin-the-worlds-most-powerful-ai-datacenter\/\">described<\/a> by Microsoft as \u201cthe world\u2019s most powerful data center,\u201d is expected to begin operation in 2026.<\/p><p>Racine <a href=\"https:\/\/midwestadvocates.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/MKE-Regional-Demands-030124.pdf\">projects<\/a> that facility will use 2.81 million gallons of water (roughly four Olympic pools) in 2026.<\/p><p>But a second data center is also under construction and a 15-center expansion is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/mount-pleasant-approves-microsoft-data-center-expansion\">planned.<\/a><\/p><p>Racine projects total water usage will be 8.44 million gallons annually (roughly 12 pools).<\/p><p>The projections don't include water that will be needed to generate electricity to fuel the data centers.<\/p><p>The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory <a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/centerforwaterpolicy\/data-centers-consume-massive-amounts-of-water-companies-rarely-tell-the-public-exactly-how-much\/\">estimated<\/a> in 2024 that 92.5% of the water U.S. data centers used was to generate electricity, 7.5% for cooling.<\/p>","featured_image":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-energy-2.jpg?fit=782%2C411&quality=100&ssl=1","long_form_article_url":"","newsroom_name":"Wisconsin Watch","post_archive_url":"https:\/\/acrobat.adobe.com\/id\/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:0d3a3433-70e3-4b1e-b818-c54aa08e4b49","post_date":"2026-03-19T05:00:00-05:00","post_id":"1314941","post_original_thread":"https:\/\/mkeregion.com\/clientuploads\/Data_Center_Files\/DC-Water-Consumption_(3).pdf","post_slug":"wisconsin-data-center-water-olympic-swimming-pools-microsoft-mount-pleasant-racine","post_time":"2026-03-19T10:00:00+00:00","post_title":"Is a claim that a massive data center will use only 4 Olympic swimming pools of water per year accurate?","post_yes_no":"No","is_local_angle":false,"publish_status":"publish","published_url":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-data-center-water-olympic-swimming-pools-microsoft-mount-pleasant-racine\/","sources":[{"organizationName":"The Conversation:","sourceName":"Data centers consume massive amounts of water \u2013 companies rarely tell the public exactly how much","sourceUrl":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/data-centers-consume-massive-amounts-of-water-companies-rarely-tell-the-public-exactly-how-much-262901"},{"organizationName":"Microsoft:","sourceName":"Made in Wisconsin: The world\u2019s most powerful AI datacenter","sourceUrl":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/save\/https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/on-the-issues\/2025\/09\/18\/made-in-wisconsin-the-worlds-most-powerful-ai-datacenter\/"},{"organizationName":"City of Racine Water Utility:","sourceName":"Mount Pleasant data center water projections","sourceUrl":"https:\/\/midwestadvocates.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/MKE-Regional-Demands-030124.pdf"},{"organizationName":"WPR:","sourceName":"Mount Pleasant commission approves Microsoft\u2019s plans for data center expansion","sourceUrl":"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/mount-pleasant-approves-microsoft-data-center-expansion"},{"organizationName":"Badger Institute:","sourceName":"Claims of data center water use are laughably wrong","sourceUrl":"https:\/\/www.badgerinstitute.org\/claims-of-data-center-water-use-are-laughably-wrong\/"},{"organizationName":"WPR:","sourceName":"Microsoft data centers will use up to 8.4M gallons of water each year, records show","sourceUrl":"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/microsoft-data-centers-8-million-gallons-water-each-year"},{"organizationName":"Midwest Environmental Advocates:","sourceName":"Demanding Data Center Transparency - City of Racine","sourceUrl":"https:\/\/midwestadvocates.org\/our-work\/legal-action\/demanding-transparency-about-the-environmental-impacts-of-data-centers\/"},{"organizationName":"Clean Wisconsin:","sourceName":"Analysis: Offsite Water Use of Data Centers","sourceUrl":"https:\/\/www.cleanwisconsin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251103_DateCenterOffsiteWaterUseAnalysis.pdf"}],"tags":[],"tip_id":0,"should_email_tip_submitter_on_first_publish":true,"post_author_email":"tkertscher@wisconsinwatch.org","post_author":{"display_name":"Tom Kertscher \/ Wisconsin Watch","first_name":"Tom","last_name":"Kertscher","middle_name":"","username":"TKertscher"}},"apple_news_notices":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-data-center-water-olympic-swimming-pools-microsoft-mount-pleasant-racine\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Is a claim that a massive data center will use only 4 Olympic swimming pools of water per year accurate?","url":"http:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-data-center-water-olympic-swimming-pools-microsoft-mount-pleasant-racine\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/03\/wisconsin-data-center-water-olympic-swimming-pools-microsoft-mount-pleasant-racine\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-energy-2.jpg?fit=140%2C74&quality=100&ssl=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-energy-2.jpg?fit=1920%2C1008&quality=100&ssl=1"},"articleSection":"Fact Briefs","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tom Kertscher \/ Wisconsin Watch"}],"creator":["Tom Kertscher \/ Wisconsin Watch"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Wisconsin Watch","logo":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/ww-logo-footer-1.png"},"keywords":["data centers","data centers watch","electricity","gigafact","hidert","mount pleasant","pools","racine","water"],"dateCreated":"2026-03-19T10:00:00Z","datePublished":"2026-03-19T10:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-03-19T15:41:17Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Is a claim that a massive data center will use only 4 Olympic swimming pools of water per year accurate?\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/wisconsinwatch.org\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/wisconsin-data-center-water-olympic-swimming-pools-microsoft-mount-pleasant-racine\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/wisconsinwatch.org\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/wisconsin-data-center-water-olympic-swimming-pools-microsoft-mount-pleasant-racine\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/wisconsinwatch.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Gigafact-energy-2.jpg?fit=140%2C74&quality=100&ssl=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/wisconsinwatch.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/Gigafact-energy-2.jpg?fit=1920%2C1008&quality=100&ssl=1\"},\"articleSection\":\"Fact Briefs\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Tom Kertscher \\\/ Wisconsin Watch\"}],\"creator\":[\"Tom Kertscher \\\/ Wisconsin Watch\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Wisconsin Watch\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wisconsinwatch.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/ww-logo-footer-1.png\"},\"keywords\":[\"data centers\",\"data centers watch\",\"electricity\",\"gigafact\",\"hidert\",\"mount pleasant\",\"pools\",\"racine\",\"water\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2026-03-19T10:00:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-19T10:00:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-19T15:41:17Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/wisconsinwatch.org\/p.js"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gigafact-energy-2.jpg?fit=1920%2C1008&quality=100&ssl=1","acf":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7SEfu-5w4J","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Wisconsin Watch","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org","push-errors":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1314941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/782"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1314941"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1314941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1315283,"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1314941\/revisions\/1315283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1300454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1314941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1314941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1314941"},{"taxonomy":"partner","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/partner?post=1314941"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=1314941"},{"taxonomy":"type-of-work","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-of-work?post=1314941"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1314941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}