Data center announcements in West Virginia spark concerns over water usage, transparency

News Clip4:21KATVchannel7·WV·8/18/2026

Ten data center facilities have been proposed across West Virginia, sparking significant community and environmental concerns, particularly regarding water usage. Environmental advocates are calling for greater transparency and community involvement in the development process to manage the potential impact on local water resources.

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As data center projects continue to pop up across West Virginia, water usage remains one of the largest concerns. Environmental advocates have been raising those concerns and asking for developers to include the communities in the process. "It's not a question of can these facilities impact local water resources. The question is, how do we manage that?” West Virginia Rivers Coalition Senior Scientist Nathaniel Hitt said. “And are we going to include the local communities who know best?" Ten data center facilities have already been proposed in West Virginia. "We've seen this story before so many times companies come here and they extract resources, and then when the markets change or the resources are gone, so are the companies,” Hitt said. _______________ Follow KATV on social media: Subscribe to KATV on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzDwapMWqoitI9Wv6nA7AYw ----------------------------------------- Stay up to date with our social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KATVChannel7 X: https://twitter.com/KATVNews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katvnews/ KATV is Arkansas' #1 source for news and weather. Providing local coverage in Little Rock and Central Arkansas. #ARnews #ARpx #politics #ARwx #7OnYourSide