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That's a small portion of the consumption. According to the article, the vast majority of the water is for electricity generation, and the vast majority of that water is from hydroelectric power generation. Hydroelectric generation does not evaporate the water, it releases it downstream in a clean, usable form.

The title seems to be accidentally confusing, the 17 billion is ALL evaporative.

If we want the other 80% (which I don't personally think we care about) 211 billion more.

What if it’s in an area where there is abundant surface water and 40” of precipitation per year? Not every data center pumps groundwater.

Can that vapor be captured and condensed again? The energy transfer of evaporation happens before it reaches the cooling tower exit. It's a conservation of energy thing for sure but condensation is doable.

There is also the issue that evaporated water doesn’t necessarily go back to the original water source