Story perspectives

QTS Data Center Pays $150K After Unbilled 30 M Gallons

5/12/2026

Summary

QTS Water Overuse

Quality Technology Services (QTS) data center in Fayette County, Georgia, used nearly 30 million gallons of water without being billed.
Utility officials discovered two industrial water hookups, one unreported and the other not linked to QTS’s account.
QTS later paid about $150,000 for the water.
Fayette County declined to fine QTS, calling it the county’s largest customer, while water system director Vanessa Tigert said officials avoided offending QTS.

Summary

Georgia PSC freezes

Fayetteville City Council passed 26-0-12, banning new data centers citywide.
Attorney James Clifton, running for Fayette County commissioner, used the water-usage scandal in his campaign.
Georgia Public Service Commission froze Georgia Power rates through 2028 to shield residents from data-center costs, coinciding with QTS’s $1 billion investment and $150-200 million yearly property-tax revenue.
PJM Interconnection warned data-center growth could overload the power grid, prompting protests in Coweta County, Utah, Missouri and Indianapolis.

History

Historical Context

The drought that began in 2011 led Governor Jerry Brown to declare a 2012 emergency and, in April 2015, mandate a 25 % cut in urban water use, affecting over 1,000 industrial sites and saving about 2 billion gallons annually. In 2023 Georgia data-center QTS drew an unbilled 30 million gallons, prompting the Georgia Public Service Commission to weigh comparable limits.

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QTS Water Overuse

Quality Technology Services (QTS) data center in Fayette County, Georgia, used nearly 30 million gallons of water without being billed.
Utility officials discovered two industrial water hookups, one unreported and the other not linked to QTS’s account.
QTS later paid about $150,000 for the water.
Fayette County declined to fine QTS, calling it the county’s largest customer, while water system director Vanessa Tigert said officials avoided offending QTS.

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