Amazon and Microsoft will return more than 750 million liters of water annually to groundwater supplies in Hesse, Germany, through a jointly funded wetland restoration project in the Vogelsberg region — a drinking water source for Frankfurt.

The two operators, whose datacenter footprints face mounting scrutiny over local water and energy demand, are financing the project. German environmental NGO NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland) will implement it together with regional partners and public authorities.

What will the project actually do on the ground?

The restoration covers 40 hectares of wetlands through nature-based interventions:

• Removing artificial drainage systems
• Creating shallow water zones to slow water flow and increase infiltration
• Implementing extensive grassland management to cut nutrient runoff into streams

NABU said it will work with roughly 10 local landholders to acquire 80 hectares of land across two project sites near Herbstein. Further land acquisitions are planned through 2028.

Beyond groundwater replenishment, the companies expect the project to create habitat for bird species that have declined sharply in the region, including whinchats, snipe, wood sandpipers and gadwall. Biodiversity impacts will be measured through annual monitoring of mammals, birds, insects, amphibians and reptiles between 2028 and 2038.

How does this fit the companies' water targets?

Both operators carry "water positive" pledges — commitments to replenish more water than they withdraw. The Vogelsberg project feeds directly into those tracked commitments.

Microsoft announced it hit its water positive target for the first time in 2025, five years ahead of its 2030 goal. Amazon said it has reached 75% of its goal to be water positive in datacenters by 2030 and has more than doubled its datacenter water efficiency.

Christian Schätz, COO of Microsoft Germany, said: "When tech companies like Microsoft and Amazon invest together in water stewardship, it signals that this sector takes its responsibility seriously — and that collective action can make a real difference for the regions we all depend on."

Michael Hanisch, Head of Technology at AWS Germany, said: "Efficient water use is part of how we operate, but that's a starting point, not the finish line. We want to actively contribute to improving the water systems locally that communities rely on every day."

What happens next?

The project's near-term milestones are land assembly and physical works: NABU's additional acquisitions run through 2028, the same year biodiversity monitoring begins. The 2028–2038 monitoring window, paired with Amazon's 2030 water positive deadline, will show whether the 750-million-liter annual replenishment figure holds in practice — the number that decides whether this counts as delivered capacity or an announced pledge.