NorthMark Cloud and Compute has revised its Spartanburg data center water estimate to an average of 1.2 million gallons per day with peaks up to 1.6 million, more than double an earlier 459,000-gallon figure that reflected only Phase I buildout. The company says it informed Spartanburg Water of higher usage in February and publicly corrected the number on Sept. 21. The correction followed issuance of a permit to install 457 MW of gas turbines, which permit documents say could emit hundreds of tons of pollutants annually. NorthMark says Spartanburg Water can meet demand and is revalidating other public figures.
NorthMark Doubles Spartanburg Data Center Water Estimate to 1.2M–1.6M Gallons Daily After Permit
The NorthMark data center is being built on Pine Street in Spartanburg, directly across from the small Spring Lake neighborhood. Christian Boschult/Staff
NorthMark Cloud and Compute has revised its projected water consumption for a large Spartanburg data center, more than doubling earlier estimates and prompting new questions about transparency and local water planning.
Updated Projections
In a Sept. 21 Facebook post, NorthMark said the facility now projects an average water use of 1.2 million gallons per day, with peak demand reaching up to 1.6 million gallons per day. At that scale, the data center could become the single largest water user in Spartanburg County.
Why The Numbers Changed
Earlier reporting in May, which cited Spartanburg Water figures, listed a lower estimate of 459,000 gallons per day. NorthMark says that figure reflected a Phase I buildout projection and did not represent expected demand after full buildout. The company also says it notified Spartanburg Water of the higher usage in a February questionnaire.
Communications And Timing
According to media reports, Spartanburg Water continued to provide the lower, out-of-date number in subsequent responses to reporters and during a public county committee meeting in August. NorthMark's Sept. 21 social post is the first public correction of the figure.
Regulatory Context
The updated water projection comes the business day after NorthMark received a permit from the state to install gas turbines capable of generating 457 megawatts of power. Permit documents indicate the turbines could emit hundreds of tons of air pollutants annually.
"People should be able to rely on the information we provide, and we are correcting our statements while revalidating other publicly shared numbers," NorthMark wrote in its social post.
The company also said that Spartanburg Water has reaffirmed its ability to serve the project without negatively affecting existing customers and that NorthMark remains committed to transparency, inviting public questions about water supply and wastewater plans.
At the time of publication, neither NorthMark nor Spartanburg Water had immediately responded to requests for additional comment.
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