Cobb County puts water conditions at heart of data-centre rules
Cobb County Water System, Georgia · Meeting date: October 27, 2026 · Published: October 28, 2026
Cobb County commissioners have approved data-centre standards that require closed-loop or equivalent non-evaporative cooling and prohibit cooling-water discharge to the county wastewater system except during routine maintenance. Developers must demonstrate water-supply adequacy, secure confirmation of wastewater capacity and fund all utility upgrades needed to serve their facilities.
Key points
- Data centres must use closed-loop cooling or non-evaporative technology of equal or greater efficiency, with no cooling-water discharge to the county wastewater system except for routine maintenance.
- Developers must submit a certified analysis of peak water demand and supply adequacy, while Cobb County Water System must confirm wastewater treatment and collection-system capacity.
- Facilities must pay 100% of infrastructure-improvement costs needed for service and may be subject to industrial pretreatment standards and permitting before a land-disturbance permit is issued.
- The board limited data centres to special land-use permits in heavy industrial districts and excluded them from the county's strategic business investment incentives.
Full report
Cobb County has made water and wastewater capacity a central condition of new data-centre development, adopting standards that require non-evaporative cooling, utility review and developer funding of any infrastructure required to serve a facility.
The Board of Commissioners approved the data-centre standards as part of its 2026 code-amendment package on 27 October. The data-centre provision passed 3-2, followed by a unanimous vote to allow the use only through a special land-use permit in heavy industrial districts. Commissioners also unanimously excluded data centres from the county's strategic business investment incentive programme.
Under the new water-infrastructure requirements, a developer must furnish Cobb County Water System with an analysis by a certified design professional showing the project’s peak water demand and the adequacy of available water supply. The Water System must separately confirm wastewater treatment and collection-system capacity.
All data centres must use a closed-loop cooling system, or another non-evaporative technology with equal or greater efficiency. The rule bars cooling-water discharge into the county wastewater system, except for routine maintenance. The language was revised during the code process to allow technologies other than closed-loop systems, provided they meet the efficiency requirement and maintain the focus on lower water consumption.
The ordinance also places the cost of utility expansion on project proponents. Data centres must pay the full cost of any infrastructure improvements needed to serve the facility. Cobb County Water System will determine before issuance of a land-disturbance permit whether a proposed facility is subject to the county’s industrial pretreatment standards and permitting under Chapter 122 of the county code.
The rules define a data centre as a facility containing large-scale computer systems for off-site data storage and processing that exceeds 30,000 gross square feet and/or consumes more than 3MW of power. In addition to the water provisions, the standards include size limits of 5-30 acres, a maximum building height of 50ft, setbacks and buffers, noise limits, lighting controls, fencing requirements and a decommissioning bond sufficient to return the site to its predevelopment condition.
The board’s action followed substantial public discussion of data centres, including calls for stronger oversight and concerns about water, electricity use, emissions and the suitability of the facilities. The adopted approach does not prohibit the use, but sets water-supply, wastewater and infrastructure conditions before a project can move into site development.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: BOC Regular Meeting, Cobb County Water System