Last year, residents of Annelise Park, an affluent community in Fayetteville, Georgia, began experiencing unusually low water pressure. When the county utility investigated, it discovered something shocking. A Quality Technology Services (QTS) data center campus located about 20 miles south of Atlanta had been draining the Fayette County water supply for months without the utility’s knowledge, Politico reported Friday. By the time officials found the two industrial-scale water hookups feeding the campus, it had guzzled nearly 30 million gallons (113 million liters) of water without paying a dime. One connection had reportedly been installed without the utility’s knowledge, and the other was not connected to QTS’s account. A May 15, 2025 letter from the Fayette County water system to QTS, reviewed by Politico, revealed that the developer was retroactively charged nearly $150,000. A spokesperson for QTS told Gizmodo that “any suggestion of improper water use by QTS is categorically false,” and said a recent billing mistake meant that Fayette County Water improperly linked certain meters. The company added that the issue was corrected and all charges were paid. It’s unclear exactly how long the data center campus was consuming county water unchecked. QTS told Politico the timeframe was 9 to 15 months. Fayette County Water System Director Vanessa Tigert did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment but told Politico the timeframe was likely closer to 4 months.