Water FAQS
Please note that questions are being answered to the best of the committee's ability and with information from representatives from Sabey. It is important to note that this project is still in the early stages (initial exploration of the project and it's feasibility).
All questions answered below are based on the following project parameters:
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Full Build Out
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200 Megawatt Facility/Campus
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$1 Billion Investment
How much water will be used per year? Sabey estimates that ~16 Million gallons per year ~44,000 gallons per day on average will be used for this project at full build-out.
What is a good comparison of this amount of water? ~44,000 gallons per day is equivalent to roughly 3 average household garden hoses running continuously. ~The largest amount of water used by the Silver Lake Industrial Water system since 2007 in comparison was in 2014 at 8.46 Million Gallons per day.
Will this project impact drinking water sources? No. Water used for data center cooling is from the Silver Lake Water System which is a non-potable (non-drinking) system. Our potable (drinking) water sources will only be used for kitchens and bathrooms for employees. Users in the Montana Connections Industrial Park are required to use the Silver Lake Water System for all industrial uses as per our ordinances and municipal code.
Where will the water come from? Water will be delivered from the Silver Lake Industrial Water System
Is there enough water in the Silver Lake Water System for this project? Yes, the burden on the water supply from the Silver Lake Water System is roughly 44,000 gallons per day, a very small fraction of the system capacity.
Will this be a closed-loop system? Yes, this system is designed to be a closed-loop system.
Will there be wastewater? There is no wastewater from the data center cooling system. There will be wastewater from the semi-annual cleaning process. This wastewater will be captured and taken offsite for treatment and disposal.
What is in the wastewater? The wastewater composition will be comprised of industrial detergents used to remove scaling on the closed-loop system. During routine maintenance these systems will be flushed and that wastewater will be captured and sent by truck to a 3rd party for removal.
Will they need a continuous stream of water? No. Peak water usage will occur when it is above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. In an average year, temperatures in July-September range from 79-81 degrees Fahrenheit in Butte. So this will only be during a roughly 8-12 week period of the year. The system will operate dry most of the year.
Will they need to drill ground water wells? No. All water used in the system will come from the Silver Lake Industrial Water System.