Engineer urges Botetourt County to require cooling towers for data centers
An 81-year-old civil engineer with expertise in water resources urged Botetourt County officials to require cooling towers for all data centers in the county. He emphasized that no local water should be used for cooling due to drought risks and the impact of heated water discharge. The engineer also recommended requiring an irrevocable bond for data center demolition if they become unusable.
Bradford Price, an 81-year-old civil engineer with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering, specializing in water resources, and 50 years of government experience including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, VDOT, and FEMA, has penned a letter to the Editor of The News-Gazette.
Price urged Botetourt County officials to mandate the use of cooling towers for any data center built within the county, asserting that no local water from streams, groundwater, or reservoirs should be used for cooling purposes. He highlighted the drastic impact on the county’s water supply due to potential droughts and the negative effects of heated water discharge into local streams. Price provided a link to an SPX Cooling site as an example of cooling tower applications for data centers.
Additionally, Price recommended that the county require an irrevocable bond from data center developers to cover the cost of tearing down the facility should it ever become unusable. He concluded his letter by offering his advice as a "good neighbor" and "at no charge."