I understand the power consumption and that they require cooling for the equipment. But are they a drain on water resources ? Seems like you could do a closed system and remove some of the demand.
They want to build one on the Cahaba. Get this: "Even when water is returned, a large portion is permanently lost to the atmosphere. Because up to 60% of the water withdrawn can evaporate during the cooling tower process, the volume returned to the river is significantly less than what was originally withdrawn, which can reduce the river's base flow."
That will cut down a lot on the Cahaba flow and maybe endanger the Cahaba wildlife.
