Officials describe water, wastewater work and permit reviews amid data-center, Amazon/Birchwood concerns

County supervisors and service-authority staff used the town hall to outline ongoing water and wastewater projects and to explain why the county renegotiated or rejected prior commercial permits.

Service-authority work: Supervisor Kathy Bender and service-authority staff said the county is installing interconnections — notably a line tying Hopyard to Perkins Corner — so the authority can decommission older plants and operate fewer treatment plants. Bender said the service-authority project connecting Hopyard to Perkins Corner will allow staff to reduce the number of plants from five to three and is tied to a consent-order deadline requiring Perkins Corner to cease operations by Jan. 1, 2027. A bond of roughly $4,000,000 was approved to fund related improvements and staff are applying for grants.

Water-permit and data-center concerns: Supervisors described rejecting projects that would stress wetlands or use potable water for nonconsumptive cooling. Multiple speakers said they would not permit data centers that draw treated drinking water to cool servers; supervisors cited prior Amazon/Birchwood discussions and an MOU in which county staff determined model inputs were flawed and the…