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Residents urge transparency and limits on data centers; supervisors say county is currently 'by right' and will pursue zoning and noise rules
Summary
Multiple residents told Carroll County supervisors they are worried about potential AI/data centers' water, noise and environmental impacts and asked the board to block or tightly regulate such projects; supervisors said the county currently has no zoning (data centers can locate by‑right) and discussed a zoning ordinance, a proposed noise ordinance, and other interim tools.
A large turnout during citizens' time at the Carroll County Board of Supervisors meeting on June 22 centered on potential data‑center development, with multiple speakers urging transparency, environmental safeguards and stricter local controls.
Several residents said they had heard only rumors and little public information about prospective data‑center projects and asked the board when and how the public would be informed about proposals, locations, timelines, water and electrical needs, noise, and chemical discharges from cooling systems.
"At what point will the citizens of Carroll County be appraised as to who is proposing this data center and, you know, where it is, what the timeline is, what the water requirements are, the electrical requirements, the size of the land?" asked Jean Berguleta during the public comment period.
Other public commenters supplied national examples and technical questions. One resident cited an investigation in Fayette County, Georgia, alleging a data‑center developer drew "nearly 30,000,000 gallons" through undisclosed connections during a drought and said Amazon settled related groundwater claims in Oregon. The commenter asked what local permits (DEQ, EPA) would be required, what chemicals would be used in cooling blowdown, and who would bear liability for contamination of local wells.
Board response: zoning, noise ordinance and interim tools
Supervisors acknowledged the concerns and said they are working on regulatory options. Several board members said Carroll County is currently a "by‑right" county (no zoning ordinance), meaning certain large facilities can locate without a board land‑use approval. A supervisor told the audience the county has prepared a zoning ordinance that could give the board more authority to control locations, water use, noise and similar impacts if adopted.
County Attorney Durbin and staff outlined interim and complementary options: preparing a noise ordinance for the board to review, using the 2232 site‑review policy to limit site uses, leveraging the public service authority or fire code for some restrictions, and tightening the comprehensive plan or site‑review rules. Durbin also told the board he represents Virginia local governments only and "does not represent data centers or data‑center developers."
What residents asked and where the record stands
Speakers asked the board to require developers to disclose total water footprint (on‑site and upstream), the exact chemicals used in cooling blowdown, the source of water (municipal or groundwater), applicable DEQ/EPA permits, and concrete liability arrangements if local water supplies are harmed. Several called for the county to pause any new data‑center approvals until the industry "prove[s] it" is safe.
Next steps
Board members urged residents to stay engaged, review the proposed zoning and noise ordinances when they are published, and attend future meetings. Staff said a noise ordinance draft was submitted for board review that evening and the county will continue to explore legal levers to set limits until (and if) a zoning ordinance is adopted.
The meeting record does not show a formal application from any data‑center developer to the board at this time; several supervisors said they had not been approached directly and that, without zoning, a data center could proceed by‑right under current county code.
