COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is still gathering public feedback on a general wastewater permit for new data centers. The EPA says it has received more than 4,000 comments so far and because of the volume of public interest, they’ve extended the comment period to January 16.
The draft permit has caused some confusion and concern among local, state and business leaders, along with environmental advocates, who say fast-tracking a general wastewater permit for all new data centers constructed in Ohio risks contaminating state waterways.
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Amy Swank, a Dublin resident and advocate for community concerns regarding data centers, appreciates the EPA extending the public comment period, but said the large corporations that build data centers should be able to pay for proper sewage and wastewater treatment systems, and that the state does not have enough data on what the risks to water quality might be.
“I think there are real concerns about what could be in the water,” said Swank. “Data centers use massive amounts of water to cool their systems and all of that water is run through pipes that could be treated with anti-corrosives. Because we are talking about a permit for hypothetical data centers with hypothetical HVAC systems, how can we even know what will be in the water?”…