Trenton Data Center Projects Raise Concerns About Groundwater Use
Data center development in Trenton, Ohio, is raising concerns about groundwater use and wastewater impacts on the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer. Prologis is building a facility for Amazon, while Amazon has proposed a larger campus, and an opposition group has secured a November ballot measure that could ban future data centers above 25 megawatts.
Trenton, Ohio, is at the center of a debate over whether data center growth could threaten the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer, a major drinking-water source for southwest Ohio. Prologis is constructing a nearly 900,000-square-foot, 250-megawatt facility for Amazon, while Amazon has proposed a $5 billion, 18-building campus on 600 acres near the city. Residents and environmental advocates are concerned about projected water use, wastewater capacity, energy demand and the potential effects of multiple large withdrawals on private wells and the aquifer.
Barry Blankenship and the Woodsdale and Trenton Environmental Resistance group have challenged the expansion. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in their favor in a dispute over petition signatures, allowing Trenton voters to consider a city charter amendment on November 3 that would prohibit new data centers larger than 25 megawatts. Scientists and water officials say the aquifer remains relatively stable but needs improved monitoring and safeguards, while utilities and regional water organizations emphasize that data centers should meet existing discharge and withdrawal requirements without harming other users.