Oh, the irony of the article being written by "Staff Writer" and having AI-chosen/driven/created ads all over it.

I can't figure out what these articles even mean when they talk about 'water consumption'.

The earth is 2/3's water. If you don't have enough near you that's because you live in a bad place for humans and should move. Not because a data center let some evaporate and rain back down as fresh water.