WaterMark / Jurisdictions / New Hanover County, NC (Wilmington)
New Hanover County, NC (Wilmington): Data Center Water Impact
Reference data for evaluating a data center proposal in New Hanover County, NC (Wilmington). Every figure below is a stored value with its primary source attached. Facility-scale results are produced by the assessment tool.
Water supply
| Metric | Value | Source / basis |
|---|---|---|
| Water utility | Cape Fear Public Utility Authority | Utility of record |
| Supply source | Cape Fear River | Utility of record |
| Treatment capacity | 60 MGD | Water stress: WRI Aqueduct 4.0, HUC-8 03030005. Cape Fear PFAS context noted. |
| Water rate | $5.80 / 1,000 gal | Cape Fear Public Utility Authority published rate schedule |
| Watershed stress | Medium (2.4 / 5) | Water stress: WRI Aqueduct 4.0, HUC-8 03030005. Cape Fear PFAS context noted. |
Watershed consumptive use
Basin: Cape Fear (HUC-8 03030005). Figures are consumptive use, not withdrawal, because evaporative data center loss is consumptive. USGS data year 2020.
| Category | Consumptive use (MGD) | Share of basin |
|---|---|---|
| Residential | 28 | 60.6% |
| Thermoelectric power | 10 | 21.6% |
| Industrial | 6 | 13.0% |
| Irrigation | 1.5 | 3.2% |
| Mining | 0.2 | 0.4% |
| Existing data centers | 0.5 | 1.1% |
| Total | 46.2 | 100.0% |
Total is the sum of the categories listed above. Shares are each category divided by that total. Source: USGS Water Use 2020, New Hanover County.
Grid generation water (Scope 2)
Generating the electricity a data center consumes evaporates water at the power plant. That volume is real, it is attributable, and it is excluded from most corporate "water positive" accounting. On a thermal grid it is frequently comparable to the facility's own cooling water.
| Metric | Value | Source / basis |
|---|---|---|
| Grid region | Duke Energy Progress | Duke Energy Progress |
| Electric utility | Duke Energy Progress | Utility of record |
| Grid water intensity | 0.5 gal / kWh | Macknick et al. 2012 × Duke Energy Progress mix |
| Local peak demand | 720 MW | Duke Energy Progress |
| Modeled rate impact | 9% to 19% | See methodology |
Where this water is consumed: Duke Energy Progress generation includes Brunswick nuclear adjacent to Cape Fear basin.
Run this county at your facility size. The assessment tool computes direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) water for a specific load, cooling system, and mitigation stack, with the same citations attached.
Open New Hanover County, NC (Wilmington) in the assessment tool
Reducing the footprint here
A high stress reading is a design constraint, not a verdict. Closed-loop and dry or hybrid cooling, adiabatic assist, immersion, and reclaimed or non-potable sourcing each move the direct number, and siting against a cleaner grid mix moves the indirect number. The solutions catalog lists each option with its water reduction, its energy and cost tradeoff, and its source.
Regulatory and siting status
Wilmington. Coastal humidity hurts free-cooling. Cape Fear PFAS concerns affect water reputation.
Sources: Water: CFPUA. Grid: Duke Energy Progress.
Comparative siting scores for this county, alongside every other county tracked, are on the US Siting Matrix.
Related counties
| County | Water source | Watershed stress |
|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg County, NC (Charlotte) | Catawba River / Lake Norman | Medium (2.6/5) |
How these numbers are derived
Assumptions, formulas, and the full source list are in the methodology. WaterMark is published by Standard Water Corp and is not affiliated with any data center developer, utility, or government agency.