Data center project causes flooding in West Virginia neighborhood
A data center construction project in a Mason County, West Virginia neighborhood caused significant flooding and mud damage to homes after heavy rains. Residents express strong opposition and frustration, attributing the damage to inadequate stormwater controls by the developer, Nscale. Nscale acknowledges the incident and is covering cleanup costs but residents want a permanent solution or to be bought out.
Residents of Meadowlands Estates, a neighborhood in Mason County, West Virginia, are grappling with extensive water and mud damage to their homes following weekend storms. They attribute the flooding to a nearby 1,100-acre data center project currently under construction behind their community. Homeowners like Helen and Bob Humphrey, who have lived in the area for nearly three decades, reported never experiencing such severe flooding until the data center construction began, suggesting that proper trenches or walls were not built to manage runoff.
Project manager Jason Bechtle stated that the storm's intensity exceeded the approved design capacity of the site's temporary sediment controls, causing a silt fence to fail. Nscale, the company behind the project, issued a statement acknowledging the "month's worth of rain in 48 hours" and flash flood warnings. They confirmed being on-site within an hour of the first call, providing restoration crews, hotel rooms, meals, and covering all cleanup and repair costs. Nscale also mentioned that their stormwater controls were recently inspected and found to be compliant with the approved plan, but the rainfall's intensity surpassed the temporary erosion controls' design capacity.
Despite Nscale's efforts, residents remain distressed, with some experiencing foundation issues due to constant equipment vibrations and others facing difficulties selling their homes because of the ongoing construction and its impact. They are seeking an escape but report no offers to be bought out by the project. Cleanup is ongoing as more rain is forecasted, leaving residents questioning long-term solutions.