(Graphic courtesy of Google)
On October 22, Google and the City of The Dalles celebrated the completion of a new water infrastructure project that will increase the region’s water capacity for decades to come.
The Aquifer Storage and Recovery System is part of Google’s $28 million investment to support the City’s public water system. The company recently expanded its long-term presence in The Dalles, which includes a data center built on redeveloped land that was previously home to an aluminum smelter once designated as an EPA Superfund site. Google data centers power the AI-driven services such as Google Cloud, Search, Maps and Workspace that people and businesses rely on every day.
“This project reflects the smart, steady growth we’ve been working toward — making sure The Dalles has the infrastructure we need today while preparing for tomorrow,” said City of The Dalles Mayor Richard Mays. “Google has been a strong partner over the years, and because of this investment, our community continues to have the resources we need for the future, resources to support new housing, new businesses, and other key priorities.”
The new water system captures and stores surplus water during the rainy season in an underground aquifer. The stored water recovered for use in drier months when the area’s demand is highest, helping safeguard The Dalles against drought. Google has permanently transferred ownership and operation of the system to The Dalles, along with the groundwater rights associated with the former smelter site. Together, these changes will provide the community with access to 100 million more gallons of water each year.
“Our approach has always been to grow in partnership with the communities where we operate in a way that protects natural resources,” said Ben Townsend, Google’s global head of infrastructure sustainability. “This project shows how forward-thinking partnerships and innovative infrastructure solutions can strengthen local water supplies while driving long-term benefits and growth for The Dalles.”
Beyond its direct operations, Google aims to replenish more water than it consumes. This work includes additional contributions to support the local watershed, including to the East Fork Irrigation District as it converts an open canal to a piped system and to the Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District working to conserve water and increase flows in Fifteen Mile Creek, helping both farmers and native fish.
Increasing Energy Resilience and Capacity
Earlier this year, Google entered an agreement with Avangrid for more than 100 megawatts of clean energy that will help enable the upgrade and repower of the Leaning Juniper IIB facility in nearby Gilliam County. When online, the facility will supply the energy to Google’s data centers in The Dalles.
Google is also helping grow the workforce to power the energy transition. This year the company contributed $100,000 to the electrical training ALLIANCE (etA) to support on-the-job training for more than 1,500 electrical apprentices across Oregon. This along with continued investment of technical infrastructure within Google’s data centers are crucial for growing the digital economy, driving AI innovation, and supporting Google customers.
The Oregon cloud region is part of Google Cloud’s global network of 42 regions that delivers high-performance and low-latency services to large enterprises, startups, and public sector organizations. Google opened its first U.S. data center in The Dalles in 2006 and has since invested more than $2.4 billion in Oregon.
