Water
Amazon pays $20.5 million settlement over nitrate-contaminated groundwater near Morrow County data centers
Partially confirmed
- Date
- 2026-03-31
- Location
- Boardman, Morrow County, Oregon, United States
- Category
- Water
- POLLUTION
Evidence
- Did the harm happen?
- Disputed
- Did the data center cause it?
- Possible
- AI connection
- No verified AI connection
- What was affected
- Groundwater, Human health
- Why
- Nitrate contamination is long documented; data center contribution alleged in class action.
- Denials and outcomes
- Amazon settled for $20.5M while denying its data centers worsen contamination. AI connection not verified: the sources document the harm but do not document AI workloads at the facility. The operator's size or brand is not treated as proof of AI use.
Residents of Morrow County, Oregon, where Amazon runs several data centers, sued over worsening nitrate contamination of groundwater that reporting has linked to cancer and miscarriages. Amazon agreed to a $20.5 million class-action settlement funding private wells and water treatment, while denying that its data centers worsen the contamination.