Community voices concerns regarding data centers coming to Warrick County
Community members in Warrick County, Indiana, urged county commissioners to enact a two-year moratorium on data center construction due to concerns about water, noise, pollution, and utility strain. While no action was taken on the moratorium, the Warrick County Area Plan Commission has drafted a new ordinance to regulate data centers, including a size limit, which will be discussed at a public hearing.
Warrick County, Indiana, residents packed a County Commissioners meeting to express strong opposition to potential data center developments and advocate for a two-year moratorium on their construction. Citing concerns prevalent in other communities, including water and noise pollution, utility strain, and electronic waste, community members urged local leaders to pause any new data center projects.
Joshua Ashby, a retired disaster specialist and long-time resident, highlighted potential negative impacts on communities from a disaster planning perspective, emphasizing the need for more research time. Barton Heath echoed this sentiment, stating the proposed moratorium was for research, not outright denial. Opponents also raised issues about the lack of specific ordinances addressing noise pollution, particularly tonal hums, and questioned the long-term economic benefits for the community.
Despite no immediate action on the moratorium by the Commissioners, the Warrick County Area Plan Commission (APC) has drafted a new data center ordinance. According to APC President Jeff Valiant, this ordinance, which will be discussed at a public hearing on July 13, aims to define and regulate data centers, including a permanent prohibition on any facility exceeding 40,000 square feet. This proactive measure seeks to establish necessary standards for any future proposals and ensure they align with the county's Comprehensive Plan, following a previous scheduled presentation by Sourcecolo, a data center consulting company, that was postponed.