Kerr Regional Citizen Voices
Supporting the Kerr Region’s right to protect public health, the environment and the natural resources our communities depend on.
We have Questions?
Water
How much water would data centers use?
Would it drain millions of gallons of treated drinking water from Kerr Lake?
Who will have priority when the region experiences sever to extreme drought conditions and low lake levels?
What forever chemicals are used in the cooing systems?
When flushed, what materials are not removed from the waste water treatment plant?
How much toxic waste water would burden our system and contaminate Kerr Lake?
How much hydro-electric power will be lost due to water removed from Kerr Lake?
Power
How much electricty would it require?
Are communities with data centers seeing their electric bill more than double?
Data centers operate around the clock and require enormous amounts of electricity. Meeting that demand could require new power lines, substations and other expensive infrastructure. Who will pay for the new infrastructure?
What guarantees would the community and region have that their electricity need would take priority over the need of a data center?
If new power lines are needed, how many years can data centers run gas or diesel generators 24-7? How long would it take to build the power lines?
Noise & Emissions
Do more generators mean more emissions?
Do large data centers require natural gas or diesel genartors for backkup or supplemental power?
What about noise, noxious air and green-house gas emissions from gas and diesel generators? How would emissions impact public health?
What would the impact be on our air, environment and quality of life?
Will contaminated water will evaporate into the air?
Noise has significant health impacts, even when it is at an “acceptable decibel level” and also when it is at a low frequency. The effects of infrasound, include sleep deprivation, tinnitus, stress that impacts cardiovascular health, and overall mental health. How will data center effect our lives?
Will heat domes and light pollution cause problems?
Housing & Land
Will nearby homeowners experience a drop in property value due to constant industrial noise from cooling systems, backup generators, and an unappealing industrial aesthetic, along with low level infrasound?
Residents next to these facilities frequently report disruptive hums, bright security lighting, invasive camera placements, and occasional cooling-tower mist. Is this what we will have to live with?
Data centers are capital-intensive rather than labor-intensive, does that mean they bring very few permanent jobs to offset negative neighborhood impacts?
Tech companies often pay massive premiums for large plots of land, would this drive acreage prices far beyond traditional agricultural or residential values?
Would data centers effect our wildlife?