Residents urge independent water study as data center debate intensifies

Residents packed the Botetourt County meeting room and overflow to urge a formal, independent examination of water supply consequences from a proposed data center campus. Speakers repeatedly asked the board to honor a planning commission recommendation for an independent water study — or, at minimum, to choose a genuinely independent panel and expert contractors.

Multiple speakers provided specific concerns and data points: Chelsea Wimmer said the county could face "2,000,000 gallons of water a day" for a single facility; Sylvia Powell and others referenced FOIAed materials they said showed planning documents discussing 10–11 million gallons. Callers warned of impacts to private wells, to Carvin’s Cove, and to ecotourism value tied to birding and biodiversity.

Speakers also raised procedural complaints: they criticized delayed or incomplete FOIA responses by the Western Virginia Water Authority, questioned the scope of county staff communications with Google, and expressed distrust of a board‑appointed citizen panel proposed by administration staff. Many public commenters said the planning commission — which had voted unanimously for the planning‑commission‑led study — was the appropriate body to oversee technical scoping and selection of experts.

Several residents suggested concrete study components: short‑ and long‑term water supply impacts, aquifer and private well vulnerability, ambient and low‑frequency noise, electricity demand and generation, thermal discharge and water‑temperature effects on aquatic life, and a clear description of how any findings would be used by the board.

The board eventually approved a motion for an independent commission; many speakers said they would continue monitoring the process for guarantees of independence and technical rigor.