Data centers, leachate rules top Owasco Lake water quality concerns
The Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council is concerned about data center expansion and its impact on water quality in the region. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has enacted a one-year moratorium on large data centers, while the State Assembly is advancing legislation to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for hyperscale data centers.
Dr. Adam Effler of the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council highlighted data center expansion as a key water quality concern for Owasco Lake, during an appearance on the FLX Morning Podcast on July 15. Effler explained that data centers' significant water usage for cooling and subsequent discharge of warmer water, known as heat pollution, can severely impact aquatic ecosystems and accelerate harmful algal blooms.
In response to growing environmental concerns, New York Governor Kathy Hochul enacted a one-year executive order on July 15, imposing a moratorium on data centers with a capacity of 50 megawatts or larger. Concurrently, the state legislature is considering the Responsible Data Center Development Act, a separate bill that would extend this moratorium to all data centers, awaiting the Governor's decision by year-end. Additionally, the New York State Assembly is progressing with bill A-11560, designed to create the state's inaugural regulatory framework for hyperscale data centers, aiming to address their broad impacts on energy, water resources, infrastructure, and public health.