Carol Stream residents raise health, utility and environmental concerns about new data center

Three Carol Stream residents told the Village Board on Oct. 6 that a data center under construction in the village’s industrial area has raised health, utility and transparency concerns.

The comments came during the board’s public listening post. Laurie, a Carol Stream resident, said she learned only recently that a data center was being built and asked whether residents were notified before permits were granted. Michael Baker, a Carol Stream resident and physics teacher, and Heather Allred, a Carol Stream resident and nurse at CDH, also spoke about potential impacts including energy and water demand, noise, air pollution and nondisclosure agreements surrounding the project.

The remarks matter because speakers warned the facility could increase local utility infrastructure needs and household energy costs and could create air and noise emissions from backup diesel generators. Those concerns touch on public health, municipal utility planning and the transparency of permitting in industrial zones.

Laur…