Roanoke Reopens Water Supply Plan Amid Data Center Demand
Data-center demand is prompting the regional authority to reconsider its long-term source, with a 20-year timeline now under review.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Data Centers
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The Western Virginia Water Authority presented plans to reevaluate its water supplies to Roanoke City Council on Monday, ahead of schedule. The James River, Roanoke River, New River, multiple reservoirs, and local quarries are under consideration; this is a planning process, not a shipped change.
Why it matters
The authority is updating capacity because of large industrial users, and its agreement with Google allocating 2 million gallons per day for a planned Botetourt County data center is a direct example. Council members asked whether the supply discussion was pushed up because of data centers, showing how data-center demand is reshaping regional water planning.
The authority's estimated capacity is 50 million gallons per day against current usage in the low 20 million gallons per day, leaving substantial headroom on paper. The Google allocation of 2 million gallons per day is the first large committed draw, though the figure is described as a starting allocation rather than a ceiling.
The players
Western Virginia Water Authority
The regional water utility serving the Roanoke area, with an estimated capacity of 50 million gallons per day and a current draw in the low 20 million gallons per day.
The technology company whose agreement allocates 2 million gallons per day to a planned data center in Botetourt County.
Mike McEvoy
Executive director of the Western Virginia Water Authority, who presented the supply reevaluation plans to council.
Terry McGuire
Roanoke Vice Mayor who said the authority must update capacity because of large industrial users.
The details
The authority is weighing several candidate sources, including the James River, Roanoke River, New River, reservoirs and local quarries, rather than committing to one. Its 2010 plan projected Smith Mountain Lake as the future regional supply, which would require piping water roughly 20 miles upstream to the Roanoke metro area. The first of Google's planned data centers is expected to be air-cooled, a design choice that bears on how much water the facility consumes.
Timeline
2010: the current water supply plan projected Smith Mountain Lake as the future source.
Monday, November 2, 2026: the authority presented its reevaluation plans to Roanoke City Council.
The reevaluation is scheduled to run over the next 20 years.
Council asked whether new supplies were being created ahead of 2060.
The Tech Race
The 2010 plan's Smith Mountain Lake projection is now being reopened, with the James River, Roanoke River and New River added as candidates. The reevaluation shows data-center developers, not only households, now setting the timing of regional water infrastructure decisions.
Residents and businesses in the Roanoke area will not see a change in their water source yet, since no new supply has been selected. The eventual choice of source and any new pipeline would determine future capacity and cost for the region's users.
The takeaway
Watch for the authority's choice among the James River, Roanoke River, New River, reservoirs and Smith Mountain Lake, which will show whether data-center demand pushes the region toward new long-term sources. Track how the Google data center's air-cooled design affects its actual water draw against the 2 million gallons per day allocation.
Further reading
For broader context on how facilities like these are reshaping regional infrastructure, see Data Centers coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WVTF.
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