[seanb]

Lots of comments here suggesting that the water use is no big deal, but please note that Google is not using river water, they’re currently evaporating 29% of the municipal water, which comes from the aquifer, in a very dry region. The aquifer in question was being depleted prior to agriculture moving to river water and the local aluminum smelter shutting down, but it’s now healthy. Google’s planned use threatens to overdraw the aquifer. To offset Google’s use, the city plans to pump treated water into the aquifer.

More context for the curious: https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2021/11/why-does-g...

[thenoblesunfish]

That's a very thorough article that answers all the natural questions. Among others, "why don't they just use river water?".