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Haw Riverkeeper urges pause and scrutiny of hyperscale data centers over water, zoning and erosion risks
Summary
At an Aug. 3 Alamance County meeting, Haw Riverkeeper Emily Sutton warned that hyperscale data centers can draw millions of gallons daily and urged a moratorium so the county can finalize zoning, assess water demand and establish local sediment/erosion controls before new applications proceed.
Emily Sutton, who identified herself as the Haw Riverkeeper, told the Alamance County commissioners the county should prepare for a new scale of data‑center development and study three areas ahead of a scheduled Aug. 17 town hall.
"A single hyperscale facility can use up to 5,000,000 gallons of water a day for cooling," Sutton said, saying that level of concentrated local draw differs from smaller data facilities. She urged the board to research water demand, zoning authority and sedimentation and erosion controls and suggested a moratorium could "buy you time to get the zoning right before the next application lands on someone's desk." Sutton also said Alamance lacks a locally delegated sediment/erosion program and that state enforcement from the Winston‑Salem regional office often arrives too late to prevent damage.
Commissioners responded that the county is finishing a unified development ordinance (UDO) that could give the county stronger enforcement tools and that public outreach — including the Aug. 17 meeting — will be part of the process. Several commissioners emphasized the need to add "teeth" to ordinances and to avoid retroactive rules: the board reminded the public that new zoning could not be applied to already‑approved developments.
The remarks were part of the meeting's public‑comment period; commissioners did not take a formal vote on zoning at the Aug. 3 session but reiterated plans for further study and community engagement, and indicated staff and the county attorney will examine tools such as moratoria and ordinance changes ahead of any formal proposals.
