Water Stewardship

At AWS, we know that water is a precious resource. We are committed to being water positive by 2030 and making more water available to the communities where we operate. Our efforts to conserve and reuse water are happening across our on-site operations and in communities where we operate by working with nonprofit and public partners to support water availability.

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Our Progress
Water Stewardship by the Numbers
0.19
Liters of water per kilowatt-hour water use efficiency for AWS data centers
20
Data centers across the globe using recycled water for cooling
96%
Of spent cooling water in Oregon is made available to farmers for use in the irrigation of crops
3.9 billion
Liters of water are returned to communities each year from replenishment projects completed or underway
Water Positive by 2030

In 2022, we announced Water+, our commitment to being water positive by 2030. That means we’ll return more water to communities and the environment than we use in our data center operations.

To do this, we’re increasing the use of sustainable water sources, improving water use efficiency across our operations, reusing water as much as possible, and supporting water replenishment projects for communities and the environment around the world.

Becoming Water Positive

There are four pillars of our water positive commitment: efficiency, sustainable sources, reuse in communities, and replenishment.

 industrial water cooling pipes in shades of blue and red.
Becoming Water Positive
Water Efficiency
At AWS, we are constantly working to optimize our water consumption. We use cloud technologies such as internet of things to analyze real time water use and identify leaks.
AWS Sustainable Water Sources
Becoming Water Positive
Sustainable Sources
AWS uses sustainable water sources, such as recycled water and harvested rainwater, wherever possible. We already use recycled water for cooling at 20 data centers around the world. Using recycled water for data center cooling preserves valuable drinking water for communities and the environment.
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Becoming Water Positive
Water Reuse in Communities
Discharged water from our data centers is still safe for many other uses. In Oregon, AWS enables the reuse of up to 96% of the cooling water from our data centers, providing it to local farmers at no charge to help grow crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat.
AWS Water Replenishment
Becoming Water Positive
Water Replenishment
AWS invests in water replenishment projects in the communities where we operate. These projects expand community water access, availability, and quality by restoring watersheds and bringing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services to water-stressed communities.
Water Positive Projects Around the World

At AWS, we are investing in global projects to reduce the water footprint of our data centers and expand water availability in the communities where we operate. There are 20 AWS data centers using recycled water for cooling. Once all of our current replenishment projects are complete, they will return nearly 2.4 billion liters of water each year to communities and the environment.

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Oregon, U.S.
California, U.S.
Virginia, U.S.
Brazil
United Kingdom
South Africa
India
Singapore
Indonesia
Oregon, U.S.
AWS sends up to 96% of spent cooling water from data centers directly to farmers in Oregon for use in the irrigation of crops, providing an additional water source and supporting the local economy.
California, U.S.
Two California data centers use recycled wastewater instead of drinking water, making higher quality water available for the community. AWS is also working with The Freshwater Trust to recharge groundwater using water rights from a local irrigation district, increasing summer flows into the Sacramento River and Bay Delta and improving wildlife habitats.
Virginia, U.S.
Sixteen data centers in Virginia use recycled wastewater instead of drinking water, making higher quality water available for the community.
Brazil
Two data centers in Brazil have rainwater collection systems that supply a portion of the system’s cooling water needs, decreasing demands on community water systems. AWS also partnered with The Nature Conservancy to restore 10 hectares of land, preventing runoff, recharging groundwater, and improving water availability in the area within the watershed serving São Paulo.
United Kingdom
AWS is working with The Rivers Trust and local member trust Action for the River Kennet to create two wetlands on the River Kennet, recharging groundwater and improving water quality in the Thames River basin.
South Africa
AWS partnered with The Nature Conservancy to restore 300 hectares of land, clearing the parcels of invasive species and increasing water availability in the watershed serving Cape Town.
India
AWS partnered with the nonprofits Water.org and WaterAid to bring clean water and sanitation to over 250,000 people surrounding our regions in India.
Singapore
Two data centers in Singapore use recycled wastewater instead of drinking water, making higher quality water available for the community.
Indonesia
AWS partnered with the nonprofit Water.org to bring clean water and sanitation to over 35,000 community members in Indonesia.
AWS Employees Making Water Positive Possible

In addition to constant innovation and the capabilities unlocked by AWS tools and resources, becoming water positive also requires hard work and commitment of many of our employees. From designing water efficient cooling systems to installing water quality sensors, AWS employees are building a better future for our company and our planet.

Related Downloads
  • Water Positive Methodology
    Learn more about how we calculate our progress towards our commitment to be water positive by 2030.
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