In Part 1 of this multi-part series, we gave an overview of why wastewater is spiking with the advent of AI and the growing implications of unchecked data center wastewater discharge. In Part 2, we examined cooling in data center operations, cooling in conventional vs. AI-focused data centers, and different cooling techniques, plus an estimate of how much wastewater we will have to manage. In Part 3, we’re looking at the increase in contaminant discharge: what’s likely to enter the water and at what concentration. We’ll also look at what KETOS can do to help data centers and utilities mitigate a drop in overall water quality in the face of data center wastewater discharge.
As we’ve outlined, when AI and data center demand expands, the demand for water resources will generate significant – and so far, unmeasured – environmental challenges. We postulate that the rise in AI-driven water usage will inevitably lead to an astonishing increase in wastewater discharge, which has profound implications for water quality, public health, and carbon emissions. Today, we’ll explore these challenges and how KETOS, a digital water quality monitoring tool, can help mitigate the issues surrounding wastewater monitoring and management.
Implications of Increased Wastewater Discharge Due to AI Demand
As the need for newer, more energy-hungry data centers that can handle the extraordinary compute power needed to support AI usage, so will the water demand. Water remains a vital component in the data center cooling process, and more compute translates to more cooling, which translates to more water usage. The result of this increased water usage (which very few are discussing and no one seems to be calculating) is the substantial volume of wastewater that will inevitably be discharged into public waters.
This trend has several downstream effects:
Increased Contaminant Discharge
The demand for liquid and hybrid cooling systems in data centers is expected to introduce a significant amount of contaminants into wastewater. These contaminants can include:
- Biocides (such as isothiazolinones and glutaraldehyde) which can cause allergies and skin irritation.
- Corrosion Inhibitors (like phosphates and molybdates) contribute to eutrophication and negatively affect marine life.
- Heavy Metals (including zinc, copper, and chromium) which are carcinogenic and can harm the skin, respiratory system, and kidneys.
- Total Dissolved Solids (consisting of common dissolved minerals and salts) that may result in kidney stones and organ stress.
Even with wastewater treatment plants in place, the additional load caused by these contaminants can harm aquatic life and biodiversity in watersheds.
Increased Wastewater Contaminant Concentration
The rise in contaminant concentration will necessitate increased capital expenditure (capex) and operational expenditure (opex) for wastewater treatment. With public budgets strained and many existing facilities operating sub-optimally, the additional treatment demand from AI data centers could exacerbate financial and operational challenges. This raises questions surrounding the funding needed to cover increased costs—whether it will come from existing budgets, data center contributions, government intervention (or a combination of all three).
Increased Carbon Consumption
Wastewater treatment is also linked to carbon consumption, with an estimated 0.3 kg CO2 equivalent generated per cubic meter of wastewater treated. The projected increase in wastewater discharge due to AI applications could result in an additional 140,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually by 2028. This poses a significant threat to global carbon reduction efforts as corporations and governments strive for carbon neutrality.
Mitigating the Impacts of AI Data Center Wastewater Discharge
Despite the alarming trends, KETOS views this situation as an opportunity to enhance the management of data center water consumption and discharge. KETOS has extensive experience working with industrial facility operators across various sectors, including automotive, food and beverage, mining, and data centers.
We help our clients:
- Monitor for 35+ water quality parameters (including heavy metals and environmental factors)
- Measure their usage with autonomous testing at the client’s desired schedule
- Set threshold alerts to be immediately informed of parameter spikes
- Observe historic water quality patterns to better proactively manage water resources
- Leverage AI to help clients learn about water trends to better manage water over time
Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring in Data Centers with KETOS SHIELD

KETOS is currently collaborating with a utility that treats water discharged by a large data center. This data center recirculates water multiple times before discharge, resulting in a significant increase in nitrate concentration. KETOS SHIELD automatically samples and analyzes the effluent stream, providing real-time data on water quality parameters such as nitrates, pH, conductivity, and oxidation-reduction potential.
KETOS SHIELD alerts operators to any threshold violations and offers advanced predictive analytics, providing reliable forecasts of contaminant levels. This granular visibility empowers data center operators and their utility partners to manage and minimize their wastewater contaminant footprint proactively.
Looking Forward
At KETOS, we believe in leveraging technological solutions to address the most daunting business and infrastructure problems while balancing sustainability and profitability. We also believe you cannot manage what you cannot measure. By realistically assessing AI’s impact on wastewater treatment infrastructure, overall water consumption, and carbon generation, we can take preemptive action to protect our public waters.
KETOS SHIELD enables data center operators to monitor a comprehensive profile of contaminants, including heavy metals and inorganic substances, and optimize their operations to reduce environmental impact. With 24/7 remote, autonomous water quality monitoring, operators can seamlessly follow parameter trends to manage wastewater, remediate discharge, and ensure water stays compliant with local regulatory requirements.
At KETOS, we are committed to providing innovative water quality monitoring and management solutions, helping safeguard our water resources in this new age of AI. Technology such as ours can help minimize a data center’s wastewater contaminant footprint while maintaining operational efficiency it can also help public utilities better monitor discharge in order to protect public water resources from contamination events. If you are a data center operator or a utility that works with a data center, we’d love to help you manage your wastewater discharge as well.
Want more insights into wastewater discharge trends in data centers? Download our whitepaper.