Residents of The Dalles, Oregon, are learning how much water Google’s data centers there have been using to cool the computers. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Thursday that a lawsuit seeking to keep the information confidential has been dropped. Google says its data centers in the Oregon town consumed 274.5 million gallons of water last year, and some residents are shocked. Data centers around the world help people conduct daily business online, but a single facility can churn through a lot of water each day. The issue is a sensitive one in The Dalles, which is in drought and where some residents have seen water levels in their wells drop.
Oregon city drops fight to keep Google water use private
