Editor:
Letters to the Editor: August 27, 2026, August 20, 2026…Data Centers, articles by Saffer and Srodes, good writing and ideas on the use and production on the topic. If I repeat or skip over some points-forgive me.
A viewpoint from Maryland; that has almost banned these centers, the building and operation. Environmentally, water usage and electrical requirements are main concerns. Plus, what does it give to our state?
If the Centers provide their own electricity and wastewater control then they could be viable. If electricity use is provided through the regular supply system, expect your own water/electric bills to increase by four-five times, as in for the few we have. The use of these centers is for large business that will use the extra crunching power to translate into their own concerns, only.
The local product of these Data Centers is HEAT. The answer, chemically treated water, to lessen the computers working heat. Exchangers/chillers are used to cool the units and the hot water produced cannot be infused into the areas water supply. This treated water also leaches chemicals from the computers and exchangers that must be removed to infuse into the local supply as well.
Again, if the Data Centers are responsible for electrical/ recovery needs, great. Otherwise, expect the local electricity and water utilities to pick up the bill. The amount of increased costs and taxes is very formidable. Each center might have 40 to 50 highly trained techs and supers that will be brought in from out of state. Construction jobs will last for six to ten months, then disappear. Many electrical powerlines will be built and further destroy the environment. The Maryland axiom is beware of slick talking pros that come and go. They leave behind nothing for the local people. As a citizen, I will personally get ZIP out of these centers. The politicians on the other hand, will need watching.
Kirk Wimer
Darlington, Maryland
Editor:
This letter responds to last week’s well meaning but uninformed submission from Joel Srodes regarding data centers. It seems, to him at least, that data centers offer nothing but good opportunities for jobs and economic development – and anyone who opposes them is against the advancing frontier of progress. He also takes Martin Saffer to task for complaining about possible de- spoiling of the land, beautiful forests and natural settings that are unique to our county. Martin was part of the “back to the land” movement in the 1970s when many people not born here bought old farms or parcels of land to escape from city life; many of these folks settled in the Hillsboro area. He should be forgiven for retaining a “hippy dippy” view of the wonders of nature available in Pocahontas County.
Fortunately for Joel – and the rest of us who live here – there is not much chance that we will be able to experience the joys of living near a data center – because Pocahontas County is wholly unsuited to host one. Data centers require several key resources which our county lacks: First, several hundred acres of contiguous flat land which can be consolidated into a single parcel; Second, access to a lot of water for cooling towers – from 1 million to 5 million gallons a day, all year round; Third, access to enormous amounts of inexpensive electricity, possibly more than enough to power all of the homes and businesses in Pocahontas Coun-ty; Fourth, a labor force of several hundred highly skilled workers to build and operate the data center; Fifth, roadways that are suitable for delivering the extremely heavy equipment required for backup generation in case the grid fails; and, Sixth, housing, and other social amenities, needed to accommodate a sudden large influx of workers, and possible families, for several years – and then school and suitable housing for the few dozen highly paid workers who will operate the facility, once built. Not to mention, the constant droning sound from the cooling tower fans and the noise from monthly testing of the diesel generators in case the primary power source fails. People living near a data center are constantly aware of being in the presence of a major industrial site that never stops.
To understand just how disruptive and destructive is the prospect of building a data center in the Allegheny highlands there is a live experiment underway right now in Tucker County, home to Blackwater Falls State Park and Canaan Valley State Park. Tucker County has less population than Pocahontas County and is more heavily reliant on tourism and skiing attractions.
By the way, because the state legislature and governor have enacted laws which make it nearly impossible to oppose construction of data centers in the state, Tucker County is in the midst of a legal fight over building a data center near the Tucker County landfill, between Davis and Thomas, at the end of the most recent addition to Corridor H – which allows access for very heavy trucks and equipment – for deliveries before, during, and after construction. But, because there is no viable connection to the electric grid, the data center plans to generate its own power with a self-contained gas-fired generation system – with hundreds of diesel engines for backup. (Think of the air pollution.) Millions of gallons of water will likely be pumped from underground sources in the limestone formations. The tourism industry will likely collapse be- cause all available housing will be bid up – or bought up – to house construction workers from out of state. The list goes on, but I can’t.
Jay Miller
Hillsboro
