On September 26, 2024, Google announced a $3.3 billion investment in South Carolina to expand its cloud and data center infrastructure, including two new data center campuses in Dorchester County; one is located at Pine Hill Business Campus in Ridgeville and the other at Winding Woods Commerce Park in St. George. Google announced a new, two-year $9 billion investment on October 13, 2025. Below is additional information about the two data centers in Dorchester County.

Water Usage

• Water service for the entire county is provided by three major regional water sources including the Lake Marion Regional Water System, the Lake Moultrie Regional Water System, and Charleston Water System, supplemented by as well as well and municipal systems.
• The data centers will be serviced by multiple water sources. The data center located at Pine Hill Business Campus (PHBC) will be supplied water from the Dorchester County Water Authority (DCWA) and the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency (LMRWA). The PHBC is currently served through a 12-inch water line from DCWA located at the entrance to the PHBC. The PHBC data center will also be supplied water from the LMRWA through a 16-inch connection to the LMRWA Dorchester Reach near the Ridgeville Industrial Campus on US 78. The data center located at the Winding Woods Commerce Park (WWCP) will be supplied water through the 16-inch LMRWA Winding Woods Reach. This water supply to the data center is supplemented by the 16-inch LMRWA St. George Reach which will connect into the 12-inch line along US 78 to supply water to WWCP data center.
• The data centers are being built in phases, which means the water demand will also be phased.
• To service economic and community development in the greater St. George area, the county increased its capacity allocation from 1.2 million to 3 million gallons per day of surface water through Lake Marion Regional Water Agency and activated a 500,000-gallon storage tank that is fed by the Winding Woods water transmission line.
• To service the facility in Ridgeville, there are plans to provide additional water transmission through regional water sources’ surface water and existing wells.
• Dorchester County Government has no plans to provide/drill new or dedicated wells to service the data centers.
• Beyond its operations, Google is committed to improving local watershed health where its offices and data centers are located and aims to replenish 120% of the water it consumes, on average, by 2030.
  •  For example, in South Carolina, Google contributed $600,000 to support The Nature Conservancy’s work to help restore the longleaf pine ecosystem, which will decrease evapotranspiration and retain water in the Cooper River Watershed. Healthy longleaf pine ecosystems support wildlife habitat, build natural resilience to wildfires and help restore water flow to nearby streams and wetlands.
• Google typically reuses cooling water for its data centers three or more times before discharging it to the local sewer system.
• Once the data centers are operational, the site-level, annual water usage will be included in Google's annual Environmental Report.  See the company's 2024 report here.

Water Cost

• Google is charged the same water and sewer rates as residential and commercial customers; they DO NOT receive a special rate for water or sewer service. For sewer service, Google would be charged $66.15 per month for the first 7,000 gallons of use, $12.70 per additional 1,000 gallons of usage. For water service, Google would pay the meter service charge up to 3,000 gallons of water; Usage above 3,000 gallons to 7,000 gallons per month charged $4.68 per 1,000 gallons; Usage above 7,000 gallons per month charged $5.02 per 1,000 gallons. These charges reflect Dorchester County costs charge to every resident or commercial customer. Google pays the county impact fees to cover the cost of the infrastructure needed to supply the water and sewer service. These water and sewer lines support and benefit other customers in those areas. 

Economic Development Impact

• The facilities will bring 200 full time jobs in Dorchester County and 1,200 long-term construction jobs. In addition, Google contracts local businesses, who provide services such as landscaping, construction and catering.
• In addition to the new local investment, the company also announced new support for energy affordability programs and a local watershed health improvement project.
• Google will be providing $2.6 million in new funding to expand the reach and impact of an initiative designed to help fund critical pre-weatherization and energy efficiency improvements for low- and moderate-income households in South Carolina and North Carolina.

Electric Usage

• Dorchester County Government does not provide electricity and natural gas services.  Please contact these utility companies directly for information.

Additional Resources

• Dorchester County Economic Development Announces Google Breaking Ground in St. George
• Governor Announces Google Facilities in Dorchester and Berkeley Counties
• Google 2024 Environmental Report
• Google Climate-Conscious Cooling Blog
• Google Water Risk Framework
• Google South Carolina Data Center Page

News Outlets

Press inquiries for Google can be sent to press@google.com.