Residents press Des Moines County supervisors on data centers, water use and zoning

Des Moines County supervisors heard nearly an hour of public input on May 26 about recent inquiries from a company exploring small Bitcoin mining and data-center operations and the possible effects on local water, power and zoning.

One resident who identified herself as calling to ask questions said she had a copy of correspondence between the land-use office and Aram Capital Ventures and asked whether the board had been informed that the company had been considering sites near the ethanol plant and off Highway 61. Land-use administrator Jared Laster said the county routinely receives inquiries about whether permits or zoning would be required and that the office provided written confirmation when asked, but that most of the county is not zoned and some inquiries do not trigger formal board review. “We get a fair amount of these inquiries on a day to day basis...that was what was provided,” Laster said, describing the county’s role as explaining permitting requirements rather than preemptively briefing the board on every preliminary inquiry.

Callers and residents pressed for more information and for clearer procedures. “Given the rapid proliferation of this new industry ... it appears that you’re like two steps behind at every go,” one caller said, urging the board to be proactive in tracking potential impacts on infrastructure.

Leah Anderson, calling from Topeka, Kan., urged the board to remember the context of prior wind and solar ordinance debates and noted data centers were not part of that discussion: “I think it’s a really important context here to remember that these data centers are brand new...we are constantly evolving new issues and things that weren’t even a problem six months ago are now exploding all over the world,” she said.

Several speakers raised specific concerns about water supply. Rose Fisher asked where existing manufacturing plants draw water and whether new data centers would compete for scarce resources; Jared Laster said utility providers would be consulted as part of any formal zoning review when a development proposal requires zoning action. County staff and callers noted that larger water withdrawals fall under Iowa Department of Natural Resources oversight and that local permitting may be limited in unzoned areas. “If a proposal requires action by the zoning commission or the board, we will consult with all the other county departments as well as utility providers,” Laster said.

Other public commenters urged the board not to rush into regulating water usage for specific industries without a clear standard, warning of a slippery slope that could create inconsistent treatment of irrigation, agriculture and industrial users.

The board said it wants more information before drafting policy. Supervisors agreed to schedule a work session to invite developers or their representatives to brief the board, and several members suggested issuing a request for information (RFI) or otherwise asking utility providers for capacity and usage data.

Next steps: the board will seek more detail from the company that made the inquiries, ask for utility and permitting information through an RFI or direct questions, and hold a work session in the coming weeks to hear from interested developers and departments.