Lebanon Committee introduces ordinance to ban data centers across township

The Lebanon Township Committee introduced an ordinance June 10 that would prohibit data centers, server farms and related high‑voltage substations in every zoning district of the township.

The measure, introduced as Ordinance No. 10‑2026, adds a broad definition of “Data Center” to Chapter 400 and adds a categorical prohibition across residential, commercial and industrial zones. The ordinance text cites water‑use concerns, local hydrogeology and potential impacts to trout streams and drinking‑water wells as reasons for the restriction. The committee set a public hearing on the ordinance for July 8, 2026.

The ordinance’s findings say some data centers cited by state lawmakers can “use as much as 3 to 5 million gallons of water in a single day” for cooling and energy generation and warns that such demands could “exponentially accelerate the depletion of the Township’s fractured‑bedrock aquifers” and “disrupt local private residential well water pressures.” It also points to the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act and notes that about 20,264 of the township’s roughly 20,270 acres sit in the Highlands Preservation Area.

At the meeting Ms. Beverly Koehler said the Planning Board reviewed the proposed ordinance and “found the Ordinance that was introduced this evening to be not inconsistent with the Master Plan.” The motion to introduce the ordinance passed unanimously. Mr. Wojcik announced the ordinance would return for public hearing and final action on July 8, 2026.

Why it matters: Lebanon is largely within Highlands-designated lands that rely on fractured‑bedrock aquifers and private wells; the ordinance frames data centers as a potential long‑term threat to local groundwater, stream base flow and community character. If the ordinance is adopted, it would bar data centers from locating in the township by any route — principal use, accessory use, conditional approval or adaptive reuse.

What’s next: The ordinance was introduced with a unanimous committee vote and will be the subject of a public hearing on July 8, 2026. Residents and stakeholders will have the opportunity to comment at that hearing; the Planning Board’s review has been included in the record.