Amazon’s data centers in Morrow County, Oregon are intensifying an existing nitrate contamination crisis in the region’s drinking water, according to a Rolling Stone investigation. Although Amazon doesn’t use nitrates in cooling, experts say the company’s massive water withdrawals and discharge into the local wastewater system are concentrating nitrate-laden runoff that seeps back into the aquifer. Some wells now show nitrate levels up to 73 ppm — far above state and federal limits — and residents have seen rising rates of rare cancers and miscarriages. Amazon disputes the findings, arguing its impact is minimal and that groundwater issues predate its arrival. But critics say the company has not done enough to mitigate risks in a low-income community with limited power to demand action.
Source: The Verge
