Caltech presents DSA‑2000 radio array plan for Northern Spring Valley; seeks BLM permits and local outreach

Caltech lead project manager Dr. Katie Jameson told the Ely City Council on Oct. 23 that the DSA‑2000 radio telescope would be a passive, highly sensitive array of 1,650 twenty‑foot dishes spread across roughly a 12‑by‑10.5‑mile area in Northern Spring Valley and would require federal land‑use approvals and local coordination.

Dr. Jameson said the project is funded by Schmidt Sciences and gave a construction cost estimate of about $230 million. "DSA2000 will be the world's most sensitive radio telescope," she said, adding that the design relies on many small antennas working together to produce imaging power comparable to a much larger dish. She described the system as passive (it does not emit radio signals) and emphasized the mountain‑framed valley was chosen because it provides radio‑quiet conditions necessary for the project's science goals.

Council members pressed project staff on local impacts. Dr. Jameson described the on‑site infrastructure as minimal—a set of four container‑sized buildings in the valley for signal digitization and maintenance—and said the heavy computation and most staff activities would be sited near the Ely industrial park. She estimated total data‑processing power needs at under 1 megawatt and said cooling designs could range from roughly 100,000 gallons per year (no evaporative cooling) up to about 3.5 million gallons per year with full evaporative cooling; she noted water use is a key consideration in the Spring Valley context.

On wildlife and habitat concerns, Dr. Jameson said Caltech has completed multiple survey seasons and is preparing reports for the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "We've done migratory‑bird surveys at the request of Fish and Wildlife," she said, and added that antennas are low‑impact and spaced sparsely (about one per ~30 acres); she acknowledged construction would be disruptive but said mitigation and monitoring plans will be part of NEPA review.

Permitting and timing were also discussed. Dr. Jameson said Caltech filed SF‑299 with the BLM in late 2023, completed two seasons of field surveys, and expects to enter NEPA soon. The current project plan would seek site access by the end of 2026 and begin construction in early 2027, with on‑sky commissioning planned after construction and a year of system integration; the BLM application seeks a 20‑year lease with an initial five‑year survey operations program.

Council members asked about local benefits and education. When Councilwoman Williams‑Harper asked about community learning opportunities, Dr. Jameson said Caltech intends to work with local schools, beginning with small outreach projects and scaling to programs aligned with community needs. "We are very interested in supporting the community, but in the way that works for the community," she said.

Next steps identified by Caltech include completion of environmental surveys, submission of NEPA materials to BLM, coordination with the Department of Defense on radio‑spectrum issues, and preparation of mitigation and monitoring plans for construction. Council members did not take formal action on DSA‑2000 at the meeting; Dr. Jameson asked the Council to consider local communications and outreach as the federal process advances.

The presentation and questions provided the Council with technical and environmental details the city will likely reference in future comments to BLM and other agencies as NEPA proceeds.