Committee weighs strict noise controls for data centers, including decibel caps and scheduled generator tests
Technical consultants and county staff recommended decibel caps at property lines, worst-case acoustic modeling and scheduled limits on generator testing; staff proposed daytime-only routine tests, mandatory peer review and applicant-funded post-occupancy verification.
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Concerns about data-center noise — particularly low-frequency hums and generator testing — dominated technical discussion at the committee meeting. Will Calderon, an environmental engineer with Olsen, told the committee engineers rely on manufacturer specifications and worst-case assumptions when modeling noise from generators, chillers and cooling equipment. "We model that" using client-provided worst-case unit specifications, Calderon said.
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