Staff with the City of Nanaimo state a proposed data centre in the city will consume at minimum 55,000 litres of water per day. That’s 14,529 gallons. Enough to get a family of four Gabriolans through four to five months of spring, summer, and early fall.
The City staff say this amount equates to what a 35 unit apartment building would use in the same time period.
If that’s the case, bring on the housing.
Split into 35, the data centre’s physical footprint would mean 5,714 square feet per apartment.
In previous generations, cities would court retailers, to develop, build, and operate malls, as a way to boost tax revenue. Apparently now, like many, they are courting the tech sector.
Whether we live in the city, or adjacent to it, decisions like this will impact everyone within our region.
Those who are concerned about Gabriola’s water are right to have that in mind.
Not everyone on Gabriola can put in enough cisterns to collect enough rainwater to get them through the dry season. Not everyone has a well.
For some, commercial water delivery is the only option. And if the City has to start turning off the taps, one doesn’t have to be convinced too much to see that it will not do so for tax paying data centres inside City limits.
Recent Comments