Lower Macungie approves what it hopes are strictest data center rules in Lehigh Valley
Lower Macungie Township's board of commissioners unanimously approved strict new rules for data center operation in the Lehigh Valley. The new ordinance requires environmental impact studies, detailed annual reports on water, electricity, and noise, and specific design parameters for facilities. These regulations are designed to ensure public safety and welfare, despite no data centers currently being proposed in the township.
Lower Macungie Township's board of commissioners has unanimously approved new stringent regulations for data center operations, which they hope will be the strictest in the Lehigh Valley. Board President Ron R. Beitler stated that the ordinance was crafted with the safety, health, and welfare of residents in mind. The new rules come even though no data centers are currently proposed for Lower Macungie, though projects are underway in neighboring Upper Macungie and South Whitehall townships.
The revised ordinance mandates that data center developers submit an environmental impact study addressing water and sewer services, energy draw, and noise output, including during emergency operations. Operators will also be required to provide annual reports detailing water use, sewer output, electricity consumption, and noise levels. Data centers must connect to public water systems, ensure no adverse impact on local water availability within a two-mile radius, and maintain a 1,000-foot buffer from residences, schools, and other sensitive locations.
Additional design requirements include a 50-foot buffer with diesel exhaust-resistant trees and 10-foot berms to hide facilities from street view. Data centers must utilize closed-loop cooling systems to conserve water, be constructed with sound-dampening materials to prevent nuisance noise, and implement robust security measures. The ordinance broadly defines data centers to include various data processing and storage uses, such as cryptocurrency mining, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology.