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Residents raise water-safety concerns about data centers and urge council to curb fireworks
Summary
Public commenters warned about water-discharge risks from data centers and called for local limits on consumer fireworks—citing veteran PTSD impacts and Batavia’s permitting approach—and urged the council to consider a permitting or date-restriction ordinance.
During the public-comment portion of the meeting, resident Kristina urged the council to consider an ordinance limiting consumer fireworks after a prolonged period of neighborhood fireworks caused distress for veterans with PTSD.
"We could have a village ordinance that says no or you have to have a permit," Kristina said, citing Batavia’s permit requirement as a model and suggesting fines for violations as a potential revenue source.
Kristina also urged caution and continued attention to reporting about data center water discharges, saying some communities had experienced serious water-department shutdowns after contamination events. "Data centers in Ohio are preparing to discharge their water usage directly into lakes and streams, and the EPA is working on permits to allow them to do that," she warned. The transcript does not record technical evidence or a council response to those specific contamination allegations.
Council members and other speakers noted the village has not signed CRA agreements for the data center and that, to their knowledge, no definitive agreements or project communications had occurred since February. Residents asked for clarity about contracts, CRA drafts and public records related to non-disclosure agreements with private companies.
The council did not take immediate action on fireworks regulation or the data center concerns at the meeting but were asked to consider options such as permitting, limiting dates and clarifying what the village’s legal authority would allow.
