Google will pay for Linn County water study
Google will pay up to $242,323 for an independent study of Linn County’s water resources as it considers developing a data center campus near Palo. The Linn County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement requiring Black & Veatch to conduct the study independently and release the results publicly. The article also reports opposition to Alliant Energy’s proposed natural gas power plant, a separate project in rural Linn County.
Google is proposing a data center campus near Palo, Iowa, and has agreed to fund an independent study of Linn County’s water resources. The Linn County Board of Supervisors approved a memorandum of understanding under which Google will pay Black & Veatch up to $242,323 to examine current and future water use, drought risks and data gaps. County officials selected the engineering firm, and Google will not control the study’s scope or review its findings before public release, which is expected by March.
The study will consider potential effects from data center construction as well as broader industrial and residential growth. The article also describes separate opposition by Linn and Benton County officials and several cities to Alliant Energy’s proposed 720-megawatt Morgan Valley Energy Center. Linn County supervisors rejected the project’s rezoning application and urged the Iowa Utilities Commission to deny Alliant’s generating certificate.