The Athens-Clarke County Commission voted to lift the temporary ban on new data centers this week and replace it with regulations.
Commissioners voted unanimously to pass a set of data center regulations Tuesday night. Commissioner Carol Myers of District 8 introduced the motion to approve a set of rules that would place new proposals for data centers—warehouses used for advanced computing—under tighter scrutiny.
Commissioner Tiffany Taylor of District 3 praised community members who advocated for the ordinance, saying it would protect residents from contamination.
“Because a lot of the industrial area is in District 3, I appreciate you guys on a personal level, because we don’t want a repeat of what happened with pollutants in communities, especially marginalized communities," Taylor said.
Residents of the Pittard Road neighborhood in District 3 confirmed in 2024 that their well water had been contaminated by a former industrial project.
The ordinance allows data centers to be built in heavy industrial zones and requires the buildings to use a “closed loop” air conditioning system, which uses less water than other systems. Myers also proposed a set of recommendations for further regulation, including putting into place requirements for reporting on water and energy consumption.
