Is a Data Center Coming to Morgan County?
The Town of Bath Council in Berkeley Springs approved spending up to $200,000 toward a 147-acre parcel containing a potential secondary water source, with additional funding from Morgan County and West Virginia. The article questions whether the water purchase is connected to a possible undisclosed data center development and highlights local political opposition to the state’s data center policies.
The Town of Bath Council approved up to $200,000 for a 147-acre parcel on Sir John’s Run Road that reportedly contains a secondary water source. Morgan County and the state are expected to contribute another $1 million, bringing the potential purchase price to $1.2 million. Officials said the town’s existing water capacity is nearly exhausted and that the new source could support county development, but they declined to disclose the source’s location, yield or intended users.
The article speculates that the water project could support a future data center, although no specific developer or confirmed data center project is identified. It also criticizes the secrecy surrounding the transaction and connects the issue to Governor Patrick Morrisey’s 2025 legislation limiting local access to data center plans. Elizabeth Ferris is described as opposing data center development in her campaign for state senator against incumbent Darren Thorne, who supported the legislation.