Editor, Gazette-Journal:

This is a reminder to readers that the Gloucester County website recently posted an announcement concerning a meeting at the RCC Glenns Campus at 6.30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28, to consider creation of a “Technology Overlay District” in the Glenns area to “attract and accommodate” data centers, and to gather public opinion about them and their location within Gloucester County. All interested citizens are invited.

It is worth considering the following: that according to several sources, which may or may not be accurate, these centers, though varying in size, use huge amounts of water, with apparent average 300,000 gallons/day. Additionally, it is reported, they use high amounts of energy for 24-hour operation, that of only one center estimated to be equivalent to that used by 100,000 homes. They may produce carbon and methane emissions, as well as noise to the surrounding area. Additionally, they may occupy 40 to several hundred acres of land. Initially, they apparently supply jobs for construction, but after completion, the need decreases by around 90 percent. With the extra energy needed to run these, electric bills may go up considerably. I hope the needs and desires of the big tech industry are not prioritized over the needs of citizens.

Margaret Vincent
Gloucester, Va.