The Daily Drip

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Volusia County, FLData centers and our water4The right to be heard

A Florida county said no before anyone asked.

What’s going on

Volusia County, Florida, voted Tuesday to ban large-scale data centers in its unincorporated areas: any facility with an anticipated peak electrical load of 50 megawatts or more. Cities inside the county keep their own land-use say. The council had approved the ordinance 7-0 on first reading. Supporters cited the water supply, electricity demand, noise and nearby neighborhoods. Council Member Don Dempsey pointed to the aquifer and sinkholes, and said no AI data center had applied yet.

Our take

Volusia set its rules before a single developer showed up. That’s the order that protects a water supply: limits first, proposals second. Don’t wait for an application in your county. Ask your commissioners now how much water a data center could pull, from which source, and who would report it to you.

Read the original reporting: WFTV (via WDBO)

What you can do

1. Ask for the data center’s water numbersGet the words

   To: your county commission. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

   Hi, I live at [your address]. For the data center proposed or operating in our county: how many gallons a day will it use at full build, from which source, who meters it, and is any of it covered by a nondisclosure agreement? Please answer in writing before the vote. Thank you.Copy the words
2. Ask what your county’s code says about data centersGet the words

   To: your county commission. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

   Hi, I live at [your address]. Does our county’s zoning code set any limits on data center water use, size or location today? If not, is a rule or moratorium being considered, and when could residents comment? Please answer in writing. Thank you.Copy the words
3. Share this storyShare

The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Data centers and our water. We’ll bring the data.

Today’s Action · two minutes

Ask for the data center’s water numbers

Two minutes, one email. Volusia set its rules before anyone applied. Your county can too, if you ask for the water numbers first.

To: your county commission. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

Hi, I live at [your address]. For the data center proposed or operating in our county: how many gallons a day will it use at full build, from which source, who meters it, and is any of it covered by a nondisclosure agreement? Please answer in writing before the vote. Thank you.Copy the words

1. Pitt County, NCData centers and our waterYour first public hearingOur land, our say4The right to be heard

   No water rules. One hearing. Nov. 16.

   Pitt County, North Carolina, commissioners voted unanimously to hold a Nov. 16 public hearing on a temporary data center moratorium. Their planning director says the county’s ordinance has no water-use standards for data centers at all.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   Pitt County commissioners voted unanimously Monday night to schedule a Nov. 16 public hearing on a temporary moratorium on data centers. Planning and Development Director Jonas Hill told them current ordinances don’t separate small facilities from hyperscale ones and set no standards for electrical load, low-frequency noise or generator air quality. On water, he said the ordinance has no standards at all. Hill said 24 North Carolina counties now have data center moratoriums, including Greene and Wake. Several residents spoke in favor.

   Our take

   A hearing date is an invitation. Nov. 16 is when Pitt County residents get the floor, and the ordinance has no water rule to protect them yet. If you live there, show up or send comments in writing. If you don’t, find out whether your own county’s code says anything about data center water.

   Read the original reporting: WITN

   What you can do

   1. In Pitt County? Comment before the Nov. 16 hearingGet the words

      To: the Pitt County Board of Commissioners. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I live at [your address]. On the proposed data center moratorium: I ask that any future data center rules set limits on water use, require metering and public reporting of the gallons used, and protect nearby wells. Please include my comment in the record for the Nov. 16 hearing and tell me in writing how to speak at it. Thank you.Copy the words
   2. Ask for the data center’s water numbersGet the words

      To: your county commission. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I live at [your address]. For the data center proposed or operating in our county: how many gallons a day will it use at full build, from which source, who meters it, and is any of it covered by a nondisclosure agreement? Please answer in writing before the vote. Thank you.Copy the words
   3. Share this storyShare

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Data centers and our water. We’ll bring the data.
2. WisconsinPFAS, the forever chemicals1The right to safety

   $125 million to find out.

   Wisconsin opened its $125 million PFAS Trust Fund for testing. Communities can apply to sample private wells, school and child care water, and wastewater; private well owners elsewhere can get a home test kit.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources and Gov. Tony Evers launched two programs from the state’s $125 million PFAS Trust Fund, which sat on hold for years over disputes about the rules. The PFAS Community Grants Sampling Program pays eligible municipalities, including counties, cities, villages, towns, Tribal governments and utility districts, to sample private wells, water at eligible schools and child care facilities, and wastewater. The first application cycle runs about six months. A second program sends private well owners outside those communities a home test kit from the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene, with prepaid return shipping. Funding is limited.

   Our take

   Schools and child care centers are on the list, and that’s where testing should start. In Wisconsin, ask your town, county or school district whether it’s applying in this first cycle. On a private well, nobody tests it unless you ask, so get in line for the kit.

   Read the original reporting: WXPR

   What you can do

   1. In Wisconsin? Ask if your community is applyingGet the words

      To: your town, county or school district. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I live at [your address]. Is our [town / county / school district] applying for Wisconsin’s PFAS Community Grants Sampling Program in this first cycle? If so, which wells, schools or child care sites will be tested, and when will the results be public? Please answer in writing. Thank you.Copy the words
   2. Ask which PFAS your utility testsGet the words

      To: your water utility. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I’m a customer at [your address]. Which PFAS does our water system test for, how often, and what were the latest results for each? What’s the plan if any are over the limits? Please answer in writing. Thank you.Copy the words
   3. Check what’s in your waterEnter your ZIP

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on PFAS, the forever chemicals. We’ll bring the data.
3. La Crosse, WIWater bills and shutoffs5The right to basic needs

   Same water. $11.81 more a month.

   In La Crosse, Wisconsin, the water charge for an average home goes from $17.88 to $29.69 a month after a state-approved rate increase. Sewer and stormwater rates rise too.

   Our take, and what you can do

   What’s going on

   Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission approved a water rate increase for La Crosse Water Utility customers, effective Oct. 1. For an average home using 4,000 gallons a month, the water charge goes from $17.88 to $29.69 a month. The first bill is prorated, so the full rate shows up on the second quarterly bill. Sewer rates rise 4% on Nov. 1 and stormwater 3% on Jan. 1, 2027. The city points to pipes more than 80 years old and rising energy, material and compliance costs. The utility says its rates stay below the statewide average.

   Our take

   That’s $11.81 more a month, about 66%, for the same water. Old pipes are real, and replacing them costs money. A jump that size still needs a plan for households that can’t absorb it. Before your utility’s next rate case, ask what bill help exists and when the next increase is coming.

   Read the original reporting: WEAU

   What you can do

   1. Ask about bill helpGet the words

      To: your water utility. Fill in the brackets, then send it by email or read it at a meeting.

      Hi, I’m a customer at [your address]. What bill assistance, payment plans or shutoff protections do you offer, and is a rate increase being proposed? Thank you.Copy the words
   2. Find your local officialsOpens the tool
   3. Share this storyShare

   The Guardian DeclarationBecome a Guardian. It’s free. Sign the Declaration and get The Right to Know.AquaCivics™ tableHost a table on Water bills and shutoffs. We’ll bring the data.

Today’s water, by right

Every story is filed under one of the eight consumer rights. Today’s edition touched 3 of the eight; each glass fills with its stories. This count feeds the AquaRights Index™.

1. 1
   The right to safety
2. 0
   The right to be informed
3. 0
   The right to choose
4. 2
   The right to be heard
5. 1
   The right to basic needs
6. 0
   The right to redress
7. 0
   The right to education
8. 0
   The right to a healthy environment

Guardian Season · Mar 15 – Jun 5, 2027

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