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Jefferson County committee outlines draft rules for data centers on air pollution, wastewater and stormwater
Summary
County staff and outside consultants recommended draft regulations for data centers focusing on backup‑generator emissions, cooling‑water pretreatment and stormwater controls; the committee asked for clearer enforcement penalties, decommissioning rules and a community‑benefit framework and set a follow‑up meeting for Jan. 7.
Jefferson County officials and outside engineering consultants on Dec. 10 described a suite of proposed rules aimed at limiting local impacts from large commercial data centers, including tighter air‑quality reporting for diesel backup generators, mandatory wastewater impact assessments and stronger stormwater controls.
County staff outlined draft requirements that would force applicants to submit air‑quality impact assessments, generator testing schedules coordinated with the county, semiannual compliance reports and third‑party audits at the owner’s expense. Will Caldran, an engineer with air‑quality permitting experience, told the committee that “the main thing we’re talking about is these diesel generators,” and said permits are typically written to keep sites below federal major‑source thresholds that are commonly described as under 250 tons per year for key pollutants.
On wastewater, consultants and staff stressed that the cooling technology…
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