Several of the U.S. tech behemoth Amazon's data centers, located in Morrow County, Oregon, have come under fire for allegedly worsening local drinking water contamination problems. These issues are associated with heightened risks of cancer and miscarriages. For an extended period, the nitrate levels in the underground aquifers of Morrow County have persistently surpassed the established standards. The substantial water consumption and drainage practices of the data centers have exacerbated the pollution situation.

Annually, Amazon extracts a substantial volume of groundwater from these aquifers to cool its servers. Subsequently, the wastewater generated is sprayed over farmland for irrigation purposes. This action hastens the return of nitrates to the soil. Additionally, during the server-cooling process, nitrates in the wastewater become more concentrated. Consequently, when this wastewater re-enters the system, the nitrate concentration is even higher.

In local wells, nitrate concentrations have soared to 73 parts per million, a level ten times the legal threshold. This alarming rise is correlated with an uptick in rare cancer cases and miscarriages in the area. However, Amazon has refuted these claims, asserting that its water consumption and the volume of water it returns to the system constitute only a negligible fraction of the local water network.