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Residents, scientists and advocates press county to demand full environmental review of Cayuga Lake water use
Summary
Dozens of public commenters urged the Tompkins County Legislature to press the DEC to treat Cayuga Operating Company's water‑withdrawal filing as a new permit, citing potential thermal and chemical impacts, inconsistent applicant statements, and long‑term ecological risks to Cayuga Lake.
Dozens of residents and organized groups filled the Tompkins County Legislature chambers and the meeting record on Jan. 20 to urge elected officials to press the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for a full environmental review of a modified water withdrawal filing tied to a proposed data center at Milliken Station.
Speakers included scientists, local farmers, nonprofit leaders and long‑time residents. Paul Kimball, who said he has engineering degrees, framed the scale by comparing the plant's projected electricity and water demands to residential usage: "This 1 plant will be using the equivalent of about 75,000 homes the size of mine," he said, and raised questions about whether the applicant had adequately characterized where heat and discharge water would return to the lake.
Multiple commenters described gaps and inconsistencies in application materials and applicant statements. "We don't know why they need this water," said Sarah Eichel of the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network, asking for clear information on intake volumes, discharge temperature and depth, and monitoring. Others urged the DEC to require an environmental impact statement because the site's proposed use—an AI/high‑performance computing campus—differs from the original coal‑plant operations.
Community advocates also connected environmental concerns to local economies: Rebecca Fry, who identified herself as a farmer and NYSEG customer, said the lake supports tourism, wineries and farms and that a substantial change in lake conditions "would also affect commerce, jobs, and the overall desirability of the area." Several speakers requested routine, verifiable reporting from the Cayuga Operating Company to the DEC if any permit remains in place.
Speakers urged the legislature to support the resolution that ultimately passed; that resolution asks the DEC to treat the filing as a new permit and to require technical, transparent accounting of withdrawal volumes and impacts. The DEC retains final permitting authority; commenters asked the county to use its voice to secure stronger state review.
