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Resident urges full independent environmental review of proposed 'Project Bosch' AI data center
Summary
During privilege of the floor, Ella Blythe asked Lima City Council to require a full, independent environmental impact statement for a proposed AI data center (Project Bosch), citing projected high water use, aquifer risks, grid impacts and a need for detailed recycling and mitigation plans.
At the Lima City Council meeting on Feb. 2, public commenter Ella Blythe urged the council to require a full, independent environmental impact statement for a proposed AI data center referred to in testimony as "Project Bosch."
Blythe, who identified herself as holding a master's degree in environmental health and safety and holding a certified safety professional designation, told the council she was "deeply worried about the environmental [and] economic impacts" and singled out the Great Miami Buried Valley aquifer as a key local resource at risk. She said, citing prior local statements attributed in her remarks to the mayor and utilities director, that the facility could use up to 5,000,000 gallons of water per day and potentially peak at 10,000,000 gallons per day in an expanded phase.
"AI data centers require electricity on the scale of small cities," Blythe said, adding that increased demand can influence residential electrical costs. She asked the council to insist on transparency and to require detailed developer plans for water-recycling and treatment systems, fully funded infrastructure upgrades, clear mitigation strategies, and an independent study that evaluates water usage, aquifer sustainability, power-grid strain, emissions and long-term ecological effects.
Blythe also raised concerns about consumptive water use through evaporative cooling — water she said would be effectively removed from local recharge — and warned of potential impacts on wells, wetlands and stream habitat. She framed her request as not opposition to responsible development but a call for more information before further approvals: "We must weigh that against the higher cost that could hit every resident," she said.
The council acknowledged her remarks during the public-comment period; no formal action on the data-center proposal was taken at this meeting. Blythe requested that the council require an independent environmental impact statement and detailed project plans before proceeding further.
Next steps: The speaker asked council staff to require or seek a full environmental assessment prior to further consideration; the transcript records this as a public comment rather than a council direction or formal requirement.
