Kansas City proposes new $2 billion water treatment plant. Is it connected to data center development? – KSHB 41 Kansas City

Report on Kansas City’s Water Infrastructure Development in the Context of Industrial Growth and Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Introduction

Kansas City, Missouri, is initiating plans for a second municipal water treatment plant, a significant infrastructure project with an estimated cost of up to $2 billion. This development occurs amid the rapid expansion of hyperscale data centers in the region, raising critical questions about resource management, urban resilience, and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

2.0 Infrastructure Modernization and Water Security (SDG 6 & SDG 9)

The city’s plan addresses the need for resilient and sustainable infrastructure to ensure long-term water security for its residents and industries.

2.1 Assessment of Current Water Treatment Facilities

• The existing Briarcliff water treatment plant is approaching 100 years of service, the typical design lifespan for its concrete structures.
• It currently possesses a treatment capacity of 240 million gallons per day, which meets the city’s present demands.
• Officials, including KC Water’s interim deputy director of engineering, Blake Anderson, have identified reliance on a single, aging plant as a significant risk to the city’s water supply, making Kansas City atypical for a municipality of its size. This highlights the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades as outlined in SDG 9.

2.2 Proposed New Water Treatment Plant

1. Location: The proposed site is in Kansas City’s East Bottoms.
2. Timeline: Construction is projected to occur within the next five to ten years.
3. Capacity: The new facility is designed to add between 60 million and 240 million gallons of water per day to the city’s total capacity.
4. Cost: Estimates range from $600 million to $2 billion.
5. Objective: The project aims to enhance system redundancy and resilience, directly contributing to SDG 6 by ensuring a stable and safe water supply for a growing population.

3.0 Industrial Demand and Sustainable Resource Management (SDG 11)

The proliferation of data centers presents a challenge to the principles of sustainable urban development by placing significant demands on local water and energy resources.

3.1 Water Consumption by Data Centers

• Data centers utilize substantial volumes of water for cooling systems to prevent server overheating.
• Meta’s recently operational data center is projected to use 9.5 million gallons of water per day upon full completion.
• Other major developments include Google’s campus and two additional hyperscale projects, Project Mica and Project Kestrel, which will further increase industrial water demand.

3.2 Community and Governance Concerns

Local officials have expressed concerns regarding the sustainable integration of these facilities into the community, a core tenet of SDG 11.

• Platte County Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker has questioned the net benefit of data centers, citing their intensive use of “scarce resources” like water and electricity and their limited potential for job creation, which challenges the inclusive growth aspect of SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
• Concerns persist that the cumulative burden of multiple data centers on water and energy infrastructure will ultimately be borne by the public, potentially undermining goals for affordable and clean energy (SDG 7) and sustainable communities (SDG 11).

4.0 Official Response and Project Justification

KC Water maintains that the new treatment plant is a proactive measure for infrastructure resilience rather than a reactive response to industrial demand.

4.1 Stated Rationale for New Plant

• Blake Anderson of KC Water asserts that the primary driver for the new plant is the risk associated with the age of the current facility, not the water demands of data centers.
• The department states that existing capacity is sufficient to meet all signed agreements with data centers.
• The project is framed as a necessary capital improvement to safeguard the city’s water supply, aligning with the infrastructure goals of SDG 9.

4.2 Financial Strategy and Public Engagement

1. Funding: KC Water intends to secure funding through state and federal grants to avoid placing the financial burden on customers through rate increases. This approach supports the goal of ensuring affordable access to essential services.
2. Public Consultation: The agency is actively seeking public feedback during the initial design phase of the project, promoting inclusive decision-making processes as encouraged by SDG 11.

5.0 Conclusion: Balancing Growth with Sustainability

Kansas City is at a critical juncture, navigating the dual objectives of modernizing essential public infrastructure and accommodating rapid industrial growth. The development of a new water treatment plant is a vital step toward achieving SDG 6 and SDG 9 by enhancing water security and building resilient infrastructure. However, the significant resource demands of the expanding data center industry pose a direct challenge to the principles of sustainable water management and equitable community development outlined in SDG 11. The city’s ability to secure external funding and manage industrial water consumption will be decisive in ensuring that this growth is both economically beneficial and environmentally sustainable for all residents.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  The article’s primary focus is on water infrastructure and management. It discusses the construction of a new water treatment plant in Kansas City, the capacity of the existing facility, and the significant water consumption by new data centers. This directly relates to ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  The article addresses the need to build resilient infrastructure. The existing water treatment plant is 100 years old, prompting the city to invest up to $2 billion in a new, modern facility to ensure a reliable water supply. The data centers themselves represent a new form of industry and infrastructure, which in turn places new demands on existing public infrastructure like water and electricity grids.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The discussion revolves around urban planning and resource management in Kansas City. The decision to build a new water plant is a strategic move to support the city’s growing population and industrial demands, including those from data centers. Concerns raised by community leaders about who pays for these upgrades and the sustainable use of resources are central to making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  While not the main focus, the article explicitly mentions the energy demands of data centers. Commissioner Scott Fricker notes that “They have to increase generation capacity and do massive capital improvements to the grid to support these data centers.” This connects the issue to the challenge of providing reliable and sufficient energy infrastructure to support new industrial loads.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  The core conflict highlighted is the massive consumption of natural resources, specifically water, by data centers. The article states that one data center alone is “expected to use 9.5 million gallons of water a day.” This raises questions about sustainable consumption patterns and the efficient use of resources, which is the essence of SDG 12.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  • Target 6.1: “By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.” The construction of a new water treatment plant is a direct effort to ensure the long-term reliability and capacity of the water supply for all residents and businesses in Kansas City.
  • Target 6.4: “By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater…” The article’s focus on the “millions of gallons of water a day” used by data centers directly pertains to the challenge of managing water-use efficiency in the industrial sector to ensure the supply remains sustainable for the entire community.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  • Target 9.1: “Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being…” The plan to build a new water plant because the current one is “turning 100 years old” and poses a “risk” is a clear example of developing resilient infrastructure to support the city’s well-being and economic activities.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  • Target 11.3: “By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management…” The debate over the new plant, the impact of data centers, and the concern about who will pay for the infrastructure reflects the complexities of sustainable urban planning. The article notes that “KC Water is looking for public feedback,” indicating an element of participatory planning.

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  • Target 7.1: “By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.” The concern that “massive capital improvements to the grid” are needed to support data centers highlights the challenge of maintaining a reliable energy supply under increasing demand from new, energy-intensive industries.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  • Target 12.2: “By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.” The article questions the sustainability of data centers using “up all of our scarce resources,” specifically water and electricity, which is a direct challenge to the principle of efficient and sustainable resource management.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicators for SDG 6

  • Water Treatment Capacity: The article provides specific figures that can be used as indicators of water supply capacity. The existing plant’s capacity is “240 million gallons of water a day,” and the new plant is expected to add “capacity of 60 million to 240 million gallons of water a day.”
  • Industrial Water Consumption: The article quantifies the water usage of a specific industrial consumer, stating that Meta’s data center will use “9.5 million gallons of water a day.” This figure serves as a direct indicator of water consumption by the industrial sector.

• Indicators for SDG 9

  • Investment in Infrastructure: The projected cost of the new water treatment plant, “anywhere between $600 million and $2 billion,” is a financial indicator of investment in critical public infrastructure.
  • Age and Condition of Infrastructure: The statement that the current plant is “turning 100 years old” and its concrete is “designed only to last 100 years” serves as a qualitative and quantitative indicator of the state of existing infrastructure and the need for renewal.

• Indicators for SDG 11

  • Public Participation in Planning: The mention that “KC Water is looking for public feedback as they start the design process” implies a process for community engagement, which can be measured as an indicator of participatory urban planning.

• Indicators for SDG 7

  • Stress on Energy Infrastructure: The need for “massive capital improvements to the grid” is an implied indicator of the strain that new industrial developments place on the existing energy supply and the investment required to maintain its reliability.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary

Source: kshb.com