Planners flag groundwater limits, water‑use reporting in data‑center draft

At the Isle of Wight County Planning Commission work session, planning staff highlighted groundwater availability as a central constraint for siting data centers in the county and region.

"They did confirm that the primary Potomac aquifer ... has limited capacity for new withdrawals," staff member Miss Ring said, citing a July 2026 groundwater study. She told commissioners the study found that groundwater availability east of I‑95 is limited and noted that some jurisdictions (York County) have prohibited groundwater withdrawals in data‑center ordinances.

Staff proposed requiring a water‑system impact analysis prepared by a Virginia‑licensed professional engineer to demonstrate that sufficient public water capacity exists for average day, maximum day, peak hour and fire‑flow demand. The draft also asks applicants to identify off‑site improvements needed to maintain system reliability and regulatory compliance.

Commissioners asked staff to add clarity on construction‑phase water use, to research mandatory retrofits for older facilities, and to examine whether the ordinance should explicitly prohibit groundwater withdrawals in scarcity areas or require closed‑loop cooling east of I‑95. Miss Ring agreed to return with comparative data and case studies.