North Georgia neighbors say data center responsible for dirty well water
Residents along the Newton-Morgan County lines in North Georgia are reporting dirty well water, which they attribute to a new Meta data center. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez visited the area and called for federal investigations into the issue. The Environmental Protection Agency has promised to look into the reports.
Residents living near the Meta data center at the Newton-Morgan County lines in North Georgia are experiencing dirty, muddy well water, which they suspect is linked to the data center's construction and operations. US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez visited the rural Morgan County neighborhood during a congressional recess, collecting samples of the discolored water and calling for investigations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Congress into the impact on local drinking water supplies.
Meta, which operates a massive data center in the area, stated that a commissioned groundwater study found no impact from their operations or construction on residents' water. The company notes it uses about 102,000 gallons of Newton County water daily, approximately 2% of the county's total usage, within a closed system. However, neighbors like Victor Chafin report that while their well water occasionally got muddy before, the problem has worsened significantly since construction, though it can vary. The EPA has committed to investigating the reports.