The reasons that data denters come to Minnesota are the availability of groundwater (underground cooling water), state and local incentives, untaxed electricity, cool weather and minimal regulation. The computers in a data center require very large cooling capability. In many cases, the data center cooling design pumps groundwater for cooling and may return water to rivers. The water will come from the limestone sandstone St. Peter-Prairie du Chien-Jordan strata aquifer system which extends throughout southern Minnesota and is 400 to 500 feet below the surface, and generally provides community drinking water.
Heavy municipal and industrial pumping — particularly in major urban hubs like Rochester and parts of the Twin Cities metro — has created localized cones of depression per the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. In Rochester alone, a persistent 2.3-square-mile cone of depression centers around high-capacity downtown wells.
ADVERTISEMENT
We in Rochester have now been restricted, per Rochester Public Utilities, from drilling 400-500 ft wells into the St. Peter-Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer, and will have to drill shallow wells affecting water purity. These shallow wells requir...