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Microsoft’s $3.3 billion data center project in Mount Pleasant will require up to 8.4 million gallons of water per year, according to data released Wednesday by the city of Racine.

Racine officials on Wednesday released the records related to the projected usage of water at Microsoft’s planned artificial intelligence data center seven months after they’d been initially requested by a Milwaukee-based water quality advocacy group and days after a lawsuit was filed to force their publication. 

The data center is currently under construction at the site initially planned to hold the Foxconn manufacturing plant in Mount Pleasant and expected to begin operation next year. 

Data centers require a huge amount of energy to keep running and use a significant amount of water to keep the servers inside cool. The water for the data center is being provided by the Racine Water Utility under an agreement with the village of Mount Pleasant. The Foxconn site has already been subject to water-based controversy after concerns were raised that water would be diverted from Lake Michigan to the area. 

The Great Lakes watershed around the southwest tip of Lake Michigan does not extend very far off the shoreline, meaning any water taken to Mount Pleasant is taking water away from the Great Lakes — threatening the agreements in the Great Lakes compact and risking the creation of a precedent across the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces along the Great Lakes shoreline. 

According to the Racine projections, the first phase of operations on the data center campus would use a peak of 234,000 gallons per day or 2.8 million gallons per year. In later phases, as more substations go online, the campus would use 702,000 gallons per day or 8.4 million gallons per year.

An Olympic-sized swimming pool holds about 660,000 gallons of water. Lake Michigan holds 1.3 quadrillion gallons of water. 

On Monday, Madison-based Midwest Environmental Advocates filed a lawsuit on behalf of Milwaukee Riverkeepers to release the requested water use projections, which the water organization had initially asked for in a February open records request. 

“Data centers will have major implications for Wisconsin’s environment. Our ability to understand the impacts and protect our water resources depends on open and transparent government,” Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s Cheryl Nenn said. 

Across the country and Wisconsin, data centers such as the site in Mount Pleasant have been proliferating as tech companies race to develop AI tools and chatbots. In some cases, the tech companies have required local governments to sign non-disclosure agreements that cover information beyond proprietary secrets and include potential community impacts. 

City officials said Wednesday the request took so long to complete because the city was making sure that providing the information did not violate a contractual agreement. 

“Open and transparent government is not optional; it is essential to public trust,” Racine Mayor Cory Mason said in a statement. “While we needed time to ensure that we handled this request responsibly and in compliance with legal agreements, we believe transparency is paramount. The information has been released, and we remain committed to making all relevant government records accessible so our community can see how decisions are made and resources are used.”