Residents of a Sterling neighborhood already are upset about constant data center noise — and now they have a new concern. A study done for an environmental group shows emissions from the center could have severe health consequences.
Operators of the data center say they are fully compliant with state and local rules.
Whether it’s daytime or the dead of night, there is no such thing as peace and quiet in this Sterling neighborhood. Here’s why: A Vantage data center there is the only one in Virginia powered by gas turbines. Its hope is that the facilty will eventually be able to connect to Dominion electric lines, but for at least several more years, eight turbines are whining away all day and night.
“There was this constant, just like a buzzing in your head. … And this is just not pleasant to listen to every day, all day,” Sterling resident Lindsay Shaw said.
When Shaw learned a data center was going to be built nearby, she welcomed it. But that quickly changed for her and other neighbors when it went online.
Greg Pirio has organized the residents to make their concerns public.
“One, sometimes it wakes me up. You can hear it in my house,” he said.
“When you go outside, it’s just like, you feel like you’re cursed to have all this noise,” he said.
But now, on top of the noise, comes more troubling news. A study commissioned by the Piedmont Environmental Council warns of serous health consequences from the center’s emissions.
“It’s associated with asthma and increased cardiovascular impacts on especially vulnerable populations and the elderly,” Julie Bolthouse of the Piedmont Environmental Council said.
The analysis is based on Vantage’s own permit with the state. It estimates about three to six more people could die each year due to the center’s emissions, with the number climbing to 17-33 premature deaths over a five-year period.
But Vantage officials say the levels mentioned in the permit are maximums, not necessarily what’s happening day to day. They say they’re operating in compliance with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) standards.
“The permitting through V-DEQ is designed to protect public health using conservative assumptions and safety margins and to make sure that facilities meet health-based air quality standards, and in practice, the VAT facility operates well below those permitted limits and emits significantly less pollution,” Adam Shalapin with Vantage Data Centers said.
The Piedmont Environmental Council hopes the report will serve as a red flag to other communities considering gas turbine-powered plants.
“This could happen anywhere, so if we are building data centers, it has to be done in a humane, healthy way for communities and for the environment,” Pirio said.
For now, Shaw has set up an air monitoring device on her front porch so she can check for herself.
“We’re slowly collecting data to see just how bad the air quality is,” she said.
As for the noise, Vantage says it is not exceeding county limits, but the company is doing sound studies right now to determine if there can be any sort of noise reduction.
“We know that we are in accordance with the requirements around noise in the local county, but we are also conducting our own studies to really understand the impacts the community feels and to make sure we are investing in noise retention,” Shalapin said.
The company says once its study is complete, it will report back in a town hall meeting with residents.
The current noise level measurements are below the county’s violation limit, but that noise is constant. In response, Loudoun County has created a working group to review new ways of capturing the noise from turbines to determine if the ordinance needs to be changed.
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