Because large data centers use exorbitant amounts of electric power and water, and may produce health risks to nearby communities, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will study the potential strain on public utilities and possible health effects with a report expected in four months.
The board voted to move forward with a study on Tuesday, April 14 after the original motion by First District Supervisor Hilda Solis was watered down and amended.
After hearing from many construction unions who said the building of these mammoth data centers produce jobs, Solis struck from her original motion on the table any possibility of enacting a moratorium on new centers proposed for unincorporated county communities. The amended motion also removed sections asking County Counsel to “explore all available legal actions” that would have laid the groundwork for lawsuits to prevent their construction or require remediation.
This is different from actions taken by some cities that have enacted temporary bans on the large warehouses that house computing equipment in massive amounts that require water to cool them down and an enormous power supply to run them.
El Monte passed a 45-day data center moratorium prohibiting processing, approval and acceptance of new data center land-use applications last month. Data centers became a flashpoint across the San Gabriel Valley recently, with many residents concerned that the facilities — which in many cases are used to house and power artificial intelligence servers — will raise utility rates and negatively impact the environment.
Opponents of such developments in El Monte and other communities have raised concern over electricity consumption, water usage for cooling, noise pollution and air quality. A facility in Monterey Park drew strong public opposition. The developer eventually withdrew his application. In general, developers of such centers contend that they can be built and maintained with minimal impact on the community.
The motion by Supervisor Solis contains findings from Pacific Gas & Electric that said data center demand would use the same amount of electricity used to power 8 million homes.
If that were to happen in LA County, its sustainability goals would be thrown out the window because these centers would force electrical utilities to run “peaker plants” that are only used to meet emergency power demands and run on diesel or other dirty fossil fuels, producing air contaminants and excessive greenhouse gases that cause global climate change, county officials explained.
“We want to convert these (plants) using fossil fuels to cleaner energy ones. By adding this additional electrical demand, that can cause an obstacle,” said Rita Kampalath, the county’s chief sustainability officer. “The study called for in the motion will give us a lot more knowledge.”
The study will look at whether a large data center will use up tremendous amounts of water and raise consumer water bills.
Mark Pestrella, director of the county Public Works and an expert on water resources, said one large data center can use up to 5 million gallons of water per day. If the local water agencies had to meet the water demands of several data centers, it could mean they would have to buy more imported water from the Colorado River or Northern California, which costs much more than locally stored water from mountain runoff, rainwater, or recycled water.
He gave the example of managers of the vast, underground San Gabriel basin under much of the San Gabriel Valley, that supplies clean water through wells. If that underground supply was overtapped, water agency managers would have to buy imported water to keep up with demand. “So, water costs would go up,” he said.
He also said public infrastructure costs for roads, stormwater capture and treatment and water production would be impacted.
“We know water is very precious,” said Solis. “And we’ve seen increases to our water rates over the years. Those are issues consumers will have to contend with unless we put in some safeguards.”
Opponents of such developments in El Monte and other communities have raised concern over electricity consumption, water usage for cooling, noise pollution and air quality. A facility in Monterey Park drew strong public opposition. The developer eventually withdrew his application.
Developers of such centers contend that they can be built and maintained with minimal impact on the community.
The amended sections of Solis’s approved motion require data centers to use less water and to minimize effects on water rates. Any new county ordinance would require developers to pay associated costs affecting energy usage, such as “environmental health inspection fees.”
Also, data centers would be required to use clean energy sources. They would also have to pay construction workers and any workers they employ a living wage.
Although there are no data centers within county unincorporated areas, about 74 data centers are operating within LA County, including one in Redondo Beach used to store and manipulate data from L.A. County government.
“While we want these communities to have clean air, and affordable energy and water, these (data centers) are very big job creators,” said Joe Sullivan, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 11, which represents 12,000 union electricians and 350 contractors.
Likewise, George Bocanegra, with Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, representing 12,000 members in LA County, said: “These data centers provide valuable opportunities for high-paying jobs.” He was against a county moratorium but favored a study.
The county Department of Regional Planning was tasked with finding where data centers should be placed, if at all. “Should we permit them at all? Or where should be put them? They may be allowed with restrictions and with discretionary approval or there may be other areas where they are prohibited outright,” explained Amy Bodek, planning director.
Some of these centers have been known to use backup generators running on diesel fuel, that produces smog components, such as PM2.5, fine particulates that can get into the lungs and cause disease or acute breathing episodes. Studies found that greenhouse gas emissions from data centers throughout the United States increased by 48% since 2019, said Barbara Ferrer, director of the county Department of Public Health.
These centers are not new. Smaller installations have been associated with telephone companies or single users in the past. But now, with large centers running data for Artificial Intelligence spread out over miles, they are computing more data at faster speeds and hotter temperatures, Ferrer said.
“They also make a constant humming noise,” she explained. “The community has routine noises, but these would be coupled with a low hum that never disappears. That low level of noise pollution at a constant rate can create in some people a sensitivity that can create health impacts,” Ferrer explained.
In the San Gabriel Valley, residents of both incorporated cities and unincorporated areas have voiced their fears and anxieties about the number of data centers under consideration in the region and their associated impacts. At community meetings in unincorporated Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights, residents have expressed worries about the potential development of data centers in the neighboring City of Industry, directly facing unincorporated residential neighborhoods, according to the motion.
Many opponents at the Board meeting wanted the county to prepare a moratorium. Others wanted the county to use its legal means to oppose centers that are in cities, but border unincorporated communities.
“Many residents are feeling fear and uncertainty. Families are worried about their water, their safety and about rising utility costs. We do not need more study. We need standards and accountability,” said Samuel Brown, a coordinator with Avocado Heights Vaquer@s, a SGV environmental justice organization that focuses on land-use issues, irresponsible development and local equestrian advocacy.
Staff Writer David Wilson contributed to this article.