Memphis’ planned xAI facility may boost efforts to create water recycling infrastructure

According to the President and CEO of Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW), Doug McGowen, Elon Musk’s proposed Memphis supercomputer for xAI will require over a million gallons of water daily for cooling purposes. This is approximately 1% of the water pumped daily from Memphis Sand aquifer, the city’s primary source of fresh drinking water. To satisfy this requirement, xAI will join forces with MLGW and Protect Our Aquifer (POA), an advocacy group dedicated to preserving the city’s water source, to push for the construction of a water reclamation facility.

Protect Our Aquifer Advocacy

Despite the impending establishment of the xAI facility adding pressure to actualize this plan, the endeavor to establish a water reclamation facility originated from POA around 2017. The advocacy group expressed concerns about the facility being best suited for the Tennessee Valley Authority but mentioned that other industries in the region could also leverage the water.

Proposed Water Recycling Process

According to Sarah Houston, the Executive Director of POA, the proposed facility would purify the wastewater treated at Memphis’ city-owned treatment plant. This purified water would then be used for cooling purposes by local companies. Currently, treated wastewater is dumped into the Mississippi River and industries pump their coolant directly from the Memphis Sand aquifer.

Projected Capacities and Purposes

Houston explains that, “if we took 10 million gallons off the top — let’s say 67 million gallons is now being treated and discharged, then about 67 million gallons of water would be discharged into the Mississippi and the 10 million gallons a day going through the water recycling facility, then sent to the [Tennessee Valley Authority], xAI, and potentially even to Nucor Steel, which is another big water consumer.”

While the potency of the treatment facility is still under discussion, McGowen emphasizes that it would cater to Memphis’ needs without excessive spending on resources not being utilized. He asserted, “You certainly don’t want to over-build it and then have no customers to use the water.”

Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness

Despite the water from these reclamation facilities not meeting drinking water standards, it proves suitable for cooling and often cheaper for companies, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program. McGowen voiced his uncertainty regarding whether the water treated at the facility would prove cheaper than water pumping from the aquifer. However, he is clear about the priority being to preserve the Memphis Sand aquifer.

Prospective Impact on Mid-South Region

A water reclamation facility in Memphis might be the first of its kind in the Mid-South region, stated McGowen. The facility’s establishment would trim down the almost 28 billion gallons of treated wastewater that is annually discharged into the Mississippi River from the southern treatment plant. However, securing approvals and sufficient funding for the project remain to be the significant challenges.

Although the project is in the planning phase, McGowen asserts that now would be the right time to embark on it. He cited possible federal funding opportunities aimed explicitly at water projects, suggesting this could make launching the project more feasible.

POA’s Sarah Houston further added, “We have to recognize that the 100 trillion gallons number is made up. We really have maybe 12% to 20% of that number in usable, extractable water below Shelby County.” This underlines the necessity to safeguard both the quality and sustainability of water in the aquifer for the future, ensuring the continuation of Memphis as a beacon of water conservation in the region.