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Residents urge moratorium on Wallula Gap data center, citing water and wildlife risks
Summary
At a June 1 Walla Walla County commissioners meeting, multiple residents asked for a moratorium and public hearings on the proposed Wallula Gap (Amazon) data center, raising concerns about deep-aquifer pumping, evaporative cooling water loss, septic handling, wildlife impacts and transparency in permitting.
At the June 1 meeting of the Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners, multiple residents urged the board to pause permitting of the proposed Wallula Gap data center and open a more extensive public review.
"I would hope that a county moratorium might help rectify this and give everybody a chance," Wendy Rom said, urging commissioners to delay decisions until studies into water resources, heat discharge, noise and job impacts are completed.
Ricky Westcott, a College Place resident, told the commission he fears the project’s plan to draw from a deep basalt aquifer and rely on evaporative cooling would permanently remove water from local systems and concentrate nitrates if wastewater were managed with septic-style systems. He cited a multimillion-dollar settlement in Morrow County, Oregon, as a warning: "I don't wanna see that happen here," he said.
Other speakers raised related concerns. Jessica said the McNary Wildlife Refuge is worried that reduced floodplain connectivity and increased light, noise and heat pollution would harm migratory birds. Britney Sabata, a College Place teacher, asked commissioners to reconcile competing water-use figures after being told the project would use "30% of what the paper mill currently uses," a statistic she said needs clarification and would significantly increase daily consumptive loss if interpreted as she described.
Several residents asked for an extended public comment period or a formal public hearing. "A 90 day public comment period would provide residents time to gather their thoughts," Kayley Coleman said during an online comment.
County staff and commissioners responded with process information: the Community Development director (Melissa Shoemake) reported that the Amazon application is undergoing a Level 2 review and is incomplete because a traffic impact analysis has not been filed. The director noted Washington law does not automatically require an environmental impact statement (EIS) for Level 2 reviews, but the director can request an EIS at multiple points in the permitting process if impacts warrant it.
No permit was granted during the meeting; staff said the application remains incomplete while required studies are outstanding and that the county will consider public concerns as the review proceeds.
The county did not take formal action on a moratorium at the meeting. The next procedural steps are for the applicant to complete the application submittal (including the traffic impact analysis) and for county staff to determine whether an EIS is warranted; commissioners did not set a timeline for that determination.
