- A surge in data center interest prompted the Ypsilanti-area water utility to set a one-year moratorium on processing requests.
- The utility says unknowns about capacity, particularly for wastewater, inspired the move.
- US water associations endorse making assessments about data centers, but some also say the delays are unjustified.
YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP — Can sewage halt the avalanche of data centers coming into Michigan?
It might in Washtenaw County, where concerns about wastewater capacity prompted the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority this spring to set a one-year moratorium that could tap the brakes in two hyperscale facilities.
While communities throughout Michigan have fought the facilities over zoning rules, regulations and other blanket moratoriums, Ypsilanti is believed to be the first to demand more time to figure out how the massive facilities will impact wastewater and transmission lines…