1 year after approving Project Blue, Pima County releases data center health impact study
Pima County has released a health impact study on Beale Infrastructure's Project Blue data center, which was approved for zoning last year. The study indicates potential negative impacts on air quality, water supplies, and public health, exacerbating existing community vulnerabilities. This report follows ongoing community concerns about the project's environmental and health effects.
A year after Pima County officials approved a zoning change for Beale Infrastructure's "Project Blue" data center, the Pima County Board of Health has released a health impact study. The study, conducted in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, warns that large-scale data centers like Project Blue could exacerbate existing community vulnerabilities, worsen air quality, and strain or contaminate water supplies in Pima County, a region already vulnerable to extreme heat and water stress.
Project Blue, a 300-acre development near the Pima County Fairgrounds, is slated to include 10 data center buildings powered by Tucson Electric Power and backed by heavy-duty diesel generators. The first phase alone is projected to use 286 megawatts of power, with full buildout potentially reaching a gigawatt. Diesel emissions, including nitrogen oxides and PM2.5, are identified as potential contributors to respiratory and heart diseases, while thermal plumes from cooling systems could raise ambient temperatures.
The report also highlights water consumption concerns, noting that Project Blue plans to use 143 million gallons of reclaimed water annually for cooling. However, the discharge of concentrated recycled water could risk contaminating local groundwater with PFAS or refrigerants. Despite planning to use reclaimed water, the report points out that facilities may still use potable water for other operations, potentially impacting Tucson Water's supply and pricing for its 722,000 customers in a region already classified as extremely high risk for water stress.
John Neatherlin, deputy director of the Pima County Health Department, stated that the department lacked existing expertise or evaluation tools for such assessments and collaborated with university researchers to build the framework. He noted a lack of empirical scientific literature on data center health impacts. While the study is a broad, county-wide assessment, it included specific references to Project Blue's plans. Community members have consistently voiced concerns about the project's environmental and public health impacts, though the project is reportedly "easily moving through permitting" after the county's zoning approval, despite an earlier rejection of a different large-scale data center request by Tucson officials.