Iowa county adopts strict zoning rules for data centers, but residents still worry

Water studies are required to, at a minimum, ensure a baseline understanding of local water resources and dynamics near proposed data centers. The state of Iowa generally lacks this, said Cara Matteson, a former geologist and Linn County sustainability director.

DNR staff told Matteson that water data collected in Linn County by qualified researchers on behalf of the data center applicant will be included in state-level permitting and enforcement decisions.

The department confirmed in an email to Inside Climate News that it will use additional local water data.

If the data center application is approved, the developers will enter into an agreement with Linn County outlining the terms of water use monitoring and reporting to both the county and DNR. The agreement may also include contingency plans for drought.

Still, counties have limited ability to act on the water monitoring data they seek. The DNR does not simply issue water-use permits; It also issues penalties for permit violations.

Several amendments to Linn County’s zoning rules occurred in response to questions raised by attendees of the first two public readings, Nichols said.

From its first reading to final adoption, the ordinance has expanded to include language setting light pollution standards, requiring a waste management plan including the Iowa DNR in the water-use agreement to address potential interference issues, and requiring an applicant-led public meeting before any zoning commission meeting.

“I’m confident that no ordinance for data centers in Iowa right now is asking for more information or meeting more requirements than our ordinance,” Nichols said in the final reading.

The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance has stated that it strongly supports current and future data center development in the area. The new ordinance is not an effective deterrent, Nichols said. He said he “strongly believes” that a data center can be built within the framework adopted.

Google spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment.

The new rules could spur data centers to develop elsewhere, acknowledged Brandy Meeshed, a supervisor whose district includes several small communities in Linn County. But the ordinance is meant to protect residents, not developers, Meesheed said. “If it’s too high a price for them to pay, they don’t have to come.”

Anika Jane Beamer covers the environment and climate change in Iowa, with a special focus on water, soil and CAFOs. A lifelong Midwesterner, she writes about changing ecosystems from one of the most altered landscapes on the continent. She holds a master’s degree in science writing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as bachelor’s degrees in biology and Spanish from Grinnell College. he is former policeman Fellow at Inside Climate News and was named a Taylor-Blakeslee Graduate Fellow by the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing.

This story was originally published on Inside Climate News.