Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025
Good morning! Today we bring you a backgrounder on data center water use, an update on a court case involving a St. Simons wetland, and a dive into how technology is helping decision-makers on Tybee protect their beaches.
Your Coast Watch newsletter will be on vacation next week, so look for it next on Sept. 10. See you then!
Questions, tips or concerns? Send me a note at mary.landers@thecurrentga.org
EXPLAINER: ENVIRONMENT
Thirsty data centers
Data centers, essential for powering artificial intelligence, consume significant amounts of water directly for cooling and indirectly for producing electricity. Wherever they are built, data centers compete with existing uses and may deplete local groundwater aquifers, as two University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee water researchers write in The Conversation. The public and government officials need complete information on data center water consumption to make informed decisions about locations, regulations, and sustainability, they suggest.
That’s getting harder in Georgia, where last month, the Department of Community Affairs paused state reviews of new data center proposals, a move environmentalists say will rob local water planners of valuable input, as Dave Williams of Capitol Beat reported.
UPDATE: ENVIRONMENT
St. Simons wetland update
Last week we brought you the story of a filled wetland on St. Simons and how Glynn Environmental Coalition, Center for Sustainable Coast, and Jane Fraser planned to petition the court to rehear their case. Now they have done so. Their petition points out that by filling the wetland, Sea Island Company destroyed the scientific evidence of the wetland’s surface connection to a salt marsh and then the Atlantic Ocean. It also argues that as a condition of its permit, the company agreed not to challenge the wetland’s status as a wetland. As a third point the petitioners say federal regulators have not yet determined how to apply in tidal waters a test of “continuous surface connection” described in the 2023 Sackett Supreme Court case.
If the Eleventh Circuit allows the case to proceed, the petitioners plan to fully prosecute their case against Sea Island Acquisition, the Glynn Environmental Coalition writes in its newsletter.
NEWS: ENVIRONMENT
How scientists keep tabs on Tybee
Researchers from the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography are making high accuracy, high resolution maps of Tybee’s dunes and beaches to help local leaders protect their piece of the coast, as Emily Jones of WABE/Grist reports. Using drones and LiDAR — a technology that uses lasers to measure elevation — the researchers have collected data every three months for the last five years, creating a detailed picture of how the beach is changing. Their data also helps verify what’s working to protect the beach, including where to source sand to give rebuilt dunes the best chance of supporting vegetation.
Also noted
Glynn County will begin construction at Coast Guard Beach Sept. 2. The project includes upgrades to the parking lot and drainage systems, the installation of a new restroom facility, and the construction of a three-story lifeguard tower. During the construction period, access to the parking lot will be limited. Pedestrian access to the beach will remain open; however, restroom facilities will not be available on-site. See The Current‘s previous coverage for more details.
Grist provides a handy roundup of when tax credits will go away for consumers’ clean energy purchases including EVs, rooftop solar, and home energy efficiency improvements.
The Washington Post provides an in-depth look at driving costs in an EV versus a gasoline vehicle in “Is it cheaper to refuel your EV battery or gas tank? We did the math in all 50 states.”
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Data centers consume massive amounts of water – companies rarely tell the public exactly how much
Data centers use large amounts of water to cool their servers and routers, and the amount of water used is expected to double or quadruple by 2028, posing a potential threat to local water supplies.
Drones, lasers, 3D maps: Inside Tybee Island’s high-tech fight against erosion
Researchers from the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography are using LiDAR technology to create detailed maps of Tybee Island’s beach and dunes, providing data to help local leaders protect the coastline from rising seas and extreme storms.
Chatham County buys marsh island as green space
Chatham County purchased Green Island for $6 million, with funding from a Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program grant and the county’s Greenspace Fund, to preserve its natural, historical, and cultural resources.
Report urges state-level leadership on ‘resilience’ while ‘climate change’ still politically charged
A new report suggests that Georgia create a state office to plan for the effects of climate change, emphasizing the need for resilience in the face of increasing natural disasters.
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