Water officials: Charlotte's system can meet projected growth; reclaimed water may be used for cooling

Charlotte Water staff told the virtual session the utility sources drinking water from the Catawba River reservoirs and conducts long-range planning (50-year forecasts) that include municipal and climate-change scenarios.

"THE WATER THAT THAT WE ALL DRINK AND USE EVERY DAY COMES FROM THE CATAWBA RIVER," the deputy director said, explaining the regional water-management group's planning and that the utility's capacity-assurance program assesses new development impacts. When asked whether data centers could contaminate the drinking system, staff said no, citing required backflow preventers, inspections and daily lab sampling; staff also said reclaimed water can be provided for cooling when a facility is within roughly two miles of a treatment plant.