Overview
- National outlets reported the episode this week, reviving anger in Fayette County over a water lapse tied to QTS’s Project Excalibur campus.
- The May 15, 2025 letter, obtained by residents, revealed about $147,474 in retroactive charges after two industrial hookups went unbilled, with one installed without utility sign‑off and another not linked to the company’s account.
- County leaders declined to fine QTS and said the failure arose during a switch to a cloud‑based metering system with short staffing, adding that the meters are now integrated and tracked.
- Neighbors reported weak water pressure and were told to conserve during a statewide drought emergency, deepening frustration over what they saw as lenient treatment for the county’s largest customer.
- QTS says the high usage came from construction work and that operations use closed‑loop cooling, while the unbilled window remains disputed, and the 16‑building, 6.6 million‑square‑foot campus under construction has become a flashpoint in wider debates over data center strain on local water systems.