Iowa Farmers Express Concerns Over Data Center Expansion and Water Use, Counties Enact Moratoriums
Iowans are experiencing rapid farmland acquisition by corporations for data center development, raising concerns about natural resource exploitation and water consumption. In response, counties like Madison and Adair are proposing and enacting moratoriums on data centers to preserve their agricultural legacy.
Barb Kalbach, a fourth-generation family farmer and member of Iowa CCI, has voiced concerns about the rapid expansion of data centers in Iowa, which she argues is displacing agriculture and exploiting natural resources. She highlights that Iowa's affordable land, inexpensive energy, abundant water, and extensive fiber optic network make it attractive to data center corporations.
The article states that over 100 data centers currently occupy more than 6,500 acres in Iowa, equivalent to half the land area of Ames. Kalbach points out the substantial water consumption by these facilities, noting that Microsoft's campus in West Des Moines is the city's largest water user, consuming up to 68.5 million gallons annually. She criticizes Iowa's elected leaders for not monitoring water reserves and failing to address an escalating water crisis linked to agricultural runoff and increasing cancer rates.
In response to these issues, Iowans, led by local communities, have initiated a pushback. Madison County has already passed a moratorium on data centers, while Adair County is actively in the process of adopting one. Kalbach emphasizes that these developments, often accompanied by state and local tax breaks, create few permanent jobs while depleting resources, leaving rural communities with the burden. She urges Iowa to prioritize its agricultural heritage over becoming a 'data center state'.