By Ryan Talton ’27, staff writer
A recent proposal to construct a data center near LVC has left students, faculty and community members with a variety of concerns.
The proposal includes a $1.7 billion data center development on 99 acres of land on the western side of South Annville Township according to a Lebanon Daily News article. The developer, York-based 1235 Martina Drive Owner LLC, is petitioning South Annville Township commissioners to change the zoning laws to allow for a greater portion of the parcel to be used for industrial or commercial purposes.
Residents’ concerns have focused on power and water consumption. The site is expected to use 100,000 gallons of water per day to cool the equipment, which will be sourced from the Annville Wastewater Treatment Center. The developer has been unable to say whether utility rates would increase as a result of the data center.
In addition to power and water consumption, noise pollution is also a concern due to the site’s proximity to homes, schools and other businesses.
“Data centers create both audible noise pollution as well as infrasound noise pollution. Audible noise pollution can be heard and mitigated, but the infrasound cannot be heard or mitigated,” Dr. Thomas Dompier, associate professor of athletic training, said when asked about the greatest concerns with constructing a data center close to LVC’s campus. “Animal studies have shown that infrasound can damage neurons and muscle cells and may lead to sleep disruptions further causing anxiety, headaches, and other issues associated with poor sleep.”
The current proposed location would place all buildings on LVC’s campus within a 1-mile radius of the data center.
“As an epidemiologist, my greatest concern is the potential negative health and environmental effects,” Dompier said. “Mass data center development has only started since the AI boom, so there is no population-based epidemiological data available to help us understand exactly what long-term health effects will occur.”
Studies completed on laboratory animals have shown physiological effects on tissue after exposure to infrasound for a few hours a week, according to Dompier. Since data centers operate continually, individuals surrounding the data center would be subjected to infrasound 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Dr. Michael Schroeder, professor emeritus of history, is organizing a group of individuals opposed to the data center’s construction. Anyone interested in joining this group can join a Substack here or by emailing mjsch313@yahoo.com.
Students are encouraged to express their feelings to student government and attend public forums in a peaceful and respectful manner. The next township supervisors’ meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 13, at 7 p.m.