Beaver Dam resident shares her heartbreaking testimony on the impacts of a local data center
A Beaver Dam resident testified to Wisconsin lawmakers about severe environmental impacts from a nearby data center construction, including creek drying and pollution. She highlighted systemic policy failures, lack of agency oversight, and the financial burden on residents to prove damage. Another data center is now proposed, intensifying community concerns and personal hardship.
Miley Kazinski, a lifelong Wisconsin resident, testified to Wisconsin lawmakers regarding the severe environmental consequences she has experienced since the construction of a data center began 1.6 miles upstream from her horse farm in Beaver Dam. She described how a natural creek, stable for nearly 50 years, now frequently stops flowing, returns abruptly cloudy with enough force to cause erosion, and is dry half the time. Dust from the construction also heavily impacts her property.
Kazinski recounted her frustrating attempts to report the issues to the Department of Natural Resources, highlighting a fragmented system where reports were lost and agencies lacked clear authority. She asserted that there is no single entity responsible for downstream impacts from large-scale construction, characterizing this as a policy failure where laws favor businesses over residents. She noted that her creek's flow now correlates with industrial activity upstream, including daily blasting with dynamite.
She detailed the financial burden on residents, stating that corporates receive fast approvals and tax incentives while residents must prove damage at their own expense. Water testing on her property revealed elevated strontium and other dangerous metals, coinciding with large-scale excavation upstream. Kazinski expressed concern that nearly 1,000 acres of permeable land are being converted into industrial space, reshaping the community, and she feels trapped as her property value has plummeted due to the data center and a newly proposed second data center in Beaver Dam.