Alamance commissioners direct draft of data-center moratorium, set public hearing for Aug. 17

The Alamance County Board of Commissioners directed the county attorney to draft an ordinance to pause large data-center development and to notice a public hearing for the evening meeting on Aug. 17, the board agreed in principle after an extended discussion and public comment.

The discussion began with multiple residents and local officials urging action to protect water supplies and unincorporated communities. "We really should be moving forward right now with countywide zoning and specifically a moratorium on data centers. We need these protections in place today," said Sean Ewing, a Mebane City Council member who spoke during the public-comment period. Environmental advocates also warned of watershed risks: "Once groundwater is contaminated, it is nearly impossible to remediate," said Emily Sutton, Haw Riverkeeper and executive director of Haw River Assembly.

County Attorney (name withheld in transcript) told commissioners a moratorium is a lawful step to allow the county time to study and draft rules. He explained the procedural requirement: the board must give at least ten days' public notice and hold a hearing before voting on any moratorium ordinance. He also said the county has no specific pending data-center application to his knowledge, and the purpose of tonight's discussion was to provide direction on whether staff should draft a proposal.

Commissioners and participants laid out the trade-offs. Supporters cited exceptional drought conditions, studies on large facilities' water use, and the lack of a state water-withdrawal permitting program in North Carolina. Opponents cautioned that not all data centers are the same and said newer facilities can recycle water or use closed-loop cooling systems that greatly reduce freshwater consumption. Commissioners also discussed potential benefits such as predictable tax revenue and grid modernization from large facilities. Several members asked staff to draft precise definitions so the moratorium would target the largest, highest-impact projects rather than smaller server sites.

The board asked the county attorney to prepare proposed moratorium language, including clear definitions of what constitutes a data center for the ordinance, and to notice the public hearing for the evening meeting on Aug. 17 at the Historic Courthouse or the regular meeting room if necessary. Commissioners also requested that representatives of the planning board present the planning board's existing work on the Unified Development Ordinance at or before the hearing.

Next steps: the county attorney will circulate draft language to commissioners before the hearing, staff will publish the ten-day notice, and the board will take public comment at the Aug. 17 hearing before deciding whether to adopt a moratorium or other regulations.