Recycled Wastewater Can Cool AI Data Centers, but Potable Water Use Persists

Summary

TechCrunch reported on August 20, 2026, that Liquid Death and Garage Beer enlisted former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce for a campaign proposing urine to cool AI data centers, which require millions of gallons of water. The joke reflects a real practice: treated wastewater and sewage, including urine, can displace potable water, said Ecolab executive Michael Obradovitch and Bruno Pigott, WateReuse Association executive director and former acting EPA water assistant administrator. Raw urine is unsuitable because salts, urea, bacteria and organic matter cause deposits and constant cleaning, while evaporative cooling would pass hot air through it. Astronauts convert urine into drinking water, but that is inefficient at scale. Treatment plants instead use membrane bioreactors, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light to produce industrial water, sometimes potable water.

CDM Smith water reuse leader Dr. Greta Zornes, a specialist for more than two decades, said data center demand has driven a recycled-water boom, but projects need nearby plants capable of treating millions of gallons daily. Rural facilities are often too small, and infrastructure takes time. Loudoun County, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C., has more than 250 data centers and at least two dozen planned. In 2025, they used about 200 million recycled gallons daily, 43% of consumption, while 260 million potable gallons supplied 57%, according to Loudoun Water. Obradovitch said data centers could anchor municipal upgrades; Meta will invest at least $270 million near its facilities while losing about $4 billion quarterly on Reality Labs. Pigott supports legislation offering a 30% recycled-water infrastructure tax credit. A Gallup poll found about seven in ten Americans oppose data centers in their communities amid consumer backlash against AI products.