Residents urge zero-liquid discharge, noise controls and battery storage for proposed Gemini data center

At the Sioux Falls City Council meeting on Jan. 13, multiple residents used the public-comment period to press for stronger environmental and operational safeguards on the proposed Gemini Capital Data Center.

Kelsey Hart, who identified herself as a Sioux Falls resident, told the council the project would be the region's largest hyperscale data center if built at the scale discussed. Hart said the facility under consideration would be about 500 megawatts—far larger than some local examples—and argued the city should require a conditional-use permit with several conditions before allowing construction. Hart recommended a zero-liquid-discharge requirement for water handling to prevent brine and salt byproducts from entering local landfills or farmland, testing and specialized disposal protocols for waste brine, sound-absorptive barriers (not reflectors), and use of lithium-ion battery energy storage rather than diesel backup generators to reduce emissions and local noise.

Hart also urged the council to align the project’s startup timeline with planned, local renewable projects to avoid installing a large new load while the grid remains carbon-intensive. She said she provided a fact sheet to the clerk for the record.

Other public commenters addressed housing and community concerns and offered general praise for the council’s work; none of the suggestions regarding the Gemini project were taken as formal actions during the meeting. Hart’s recommendations were recorded as public comment and will require staff or council follow-up if the city pursues permit conditions or ordinance changes.