NSA data center uses less water than expected

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The massive National Security Agency data center about 25 miles south of Salt Lake City is using far less water than expected, utility records obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune show.

Records from the city of Bluffdale, which sells water to the facility, show monthly water use at the $1.7 billion data center peaked last July at 6.2 million gallons. Thats well below what the 1 million gallons a day that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicted the center would need to cool its computer processers.

Water records from January 2012 through February 2012 show the centers use has fluctuated, consuming more water in summer months as temperatures rise. The centers December bill showed 3.8 million gallons were consumed. In January, water consumption rose to nearly 4.9 million gallons before falling in February to about 2.8 million gallons.

With those numbers so far below what engineers predicted, it raises questions about to what degree the center is operational. NSA officials have refused to say if the center is up and running after its scheduled opening last October was stalled by electrical problems.

NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines did not respond to messages seeking comment Tuesday.

I would guess that its not up and fully running, James Bamford, the author of several books on the NSA who in 2012 wrote about the Utah center in Wired magazine, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The difference between what they were planning and what they are actually using is magnitudes of difference.

That makes it logical to assume the center is not fully operational and may be having further problems, Bamford said.

Its not likely that initial estimates about how much water the center would need were wrong, he said.

Building a data center is not very unique, Bamford said. Theyve done it many times all over the country, and Im sure they can judge how much water will be used.

Records show the NSA has made contract-required minimum monthly payments to the city, which were about $29,000 a month in July and increased to about $32,000 a month in January 2014.

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NSA data center uses less water than expected