Ohio Is Quietly Becoming America's Water-Compliance Battleground for Data Centers
Central Ohio added more hyperscale capacity than any U.S. region in 18 months. Water is now the single biggest gating item on every schedule.
Key Insight
Ohio did not ban data centers. It simply raised the bar on water stewardship higher and earlier than almost anywhere else in the country. Water has officially leapfrogged zoning and transmission as the longest lead item.
Central Ohio added more hyperscale capacity in the last 18 months than any other region in the United States. Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Oracle are collectively bringing 3–4 GW online or under construction between New Albany, Lancaster, Pataskala, Heath, Johnstown, and surrounding counties by 2028.
Power is abundant and cheap. Land is plentiful.
Water, however, is now the single biggest gating item on every schedule.
Why Ohio Flipped from "Water-Rich" to "Water-Scrutinized" Overnight
- AEP Ohio's aggressive incentives pulled in the largest campuses on earth
- Most sites sit over the same Scioto and Great Miami–Buried Valley aquifers that supply Columbus and Dayton
- Local utilities and the Ohio EPA watched Virginia's 2022–2024 backlash and decided to get ahead of the problem instead of reacting to it
The result: Ohio quietly rolled out some of the most sophisticated data-center-specific water rules in the country, all within the last 18 months.
Ohio's 2025–2026 Water Rules That Every Developer and EPC Must Know
| Requirement | Details (as of Nov 2025) | What It Means in Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Reclaimed-Water First Policy | New or expanding >50 MW campuses must prove they cannot feasibly use reclaimed effluent before potable is allowed | Almost every Central Ohio project now has a letter of intent with a nearby municipal WWTP |
| Ohio EPA General NPDES Permit for Data Centers | Issued 2024 – specific to cooling-tower blowdown (limits TDS, phosphorus, biocides, temperature) | One-stop permit instead of individual – but requires monthly monitoring and annual public report |
| "No Net Increase" Water Clause | Common in Licking, Union, and Fairfield counties – total withdrawal cannot exceed offsets or reuse | Forces 85–95% on-site recycling or direct purchase of reclaimed water credits |
| Public Water Dashboard | Facilities >100 MW must publish annual water use and WUE on utility or county website | Google Lancaster and Microsoft Heath already live |
| Pre-Construction Water Supply Agreement | Must be executed before building permit is issued | Now on the critical path – often takes 9–15 months |
Real Projects, Real Numbers (Publicly Disclosed 2025)
| Project | Operator | Size | Water Strategy (2025) | Reported WUE Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Albany / Johnstown | Amazon AWS | 900+ MW | 100% reclaimed from City of Columbus / SWACO | <0.25 L/kWh |
| Lancaster | 800–1,000 MW | 100% non-potable sources + high-recovery RO | <0.2 L/kWh | |
| Heath / Hebron area | Microsoft | 700+ MW | Co-located next to wastewater plants | Water-positive goal |
| Pataskala / Etna | Meta (rumored) | 500+ MW | Reclaimed effluent agreement in negotiation | Not disclosed |
The New Timeline Reality in Central Ohio
- Site selection
- Secure reclaimed-water capacity (9–18 months)
- Execute Water Supply Agreement
- Submit General NPDES application
- Receive building permits
Water has officially leapfrogged zoning and transmission interconnection as the longest lead item.
Bottom Line for Anyone Looking at Ohio in 2026 and Beyond
The state did not ban data centers. It simply raised the bar on water stewardship higher and earlier than almost anywhere else in the country.
The projects that are breaking ground fastest right now all have one thing in common: they treated water sourcing, recycling, and compliance as a Day-1 design discipline, not a Year-3 checkbox.
Ohio's new rules are not going away, and they are already being copied by Iowa, Indiana, and Georgia. The era of "we'll figure water out later" is over in the Midwest.
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