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Residents raise groundwater, noise and health concerns over proposed data‑center development; others stress economic benefits
Summary
During public comment about local land‑use and future proposals, several Harford County residents warned data centers could damage aquifers, increase water use, and produce low‑frequency vibration and noise; other speakers urged balanced consideration of jobs and tax benefits. Commenters also urged better transparency and process for large private proposals.
Multiple residents used the public‑comment period on June 2 to press the Harford County Council to scrutinize proposed data‑center developments and protect groundwater and community health.
Speakers described past local contamination events (MTBE at a former Exxon station) and cited studies and anecdotes they said link industrial projects to long‑term well contamination, health complaints and ecological harm. Residents warned that large data centers can require substantial water use for cooling, may pump groundwater during construction for deep foundations, and can generate low‑frequency vibration and tonal noise that residents say penetrates homes and affects sleep and well‑being.
Representative comments
- Nathan Regola (District C) said Harford County relies heavily on wells (about half the population served by private or community wells) and urged the council to create a permanent working group to advise on non‑public water issues. - Linda Ziskind recalled the 2005 MTBE contamination at a local Exxon that led to more than 200 impacted wells and said strict standards did not prevent real harm. - Evelyn Bishoff raised concerns about infrasound and vibration from data centers and their potential health impacts, citing reported noise measurements in other communities. - Bill Vasa Lacopoulos and Gary Johnson argued for a sober discussion about jobs, taxes and infrastructure; Johnson said data centers are critical infrastructure but warned the county should ensure it captures economic benefits rather than only bearing land impacts.
Why it matters: Several speakers said local aquifers (including unconfined aquifers in parts of Harford) could be strained by construction and operational water demand of large data complexes and that county zoning and review processes must be sufficient to evaluate those risks and require mitigation.
Quote: "An aquifer is an underground layer of water‑bearing rock…Data centers put a strain on local aquifers both during construction and when functioning," Jackie Johnson said.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 861; topfinish SEG 1113
