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January 24, 2026
Data centers in Loudoun County, Virginia near Washington, DC. Photo credit: Hugh Kenny, Piedmont Environmental Council
Data centers have become the backbone of our digital world, supporting fast internet and easy access to endless information. However, here in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, their rapid spread has transformed the landscape I grew up in. The quiet back roads of open fields and forested hills that I loved passing by during my childhood are now lined with massive concrete buildings and buzzing power infrastructure. It’s a jarring change, and it raised concerns about what this growth means for the Bay’s ecosystem and communities. There’s no doubt that this development will continue, but promoting transparency of its impacts, regulatory policies, and mitigation strategies is vital to the protection of this region’s fragile systems.
Server racks inside of a data center. Photo credit: Brett Sayles
A data center is the physical manifestation of “the cloud,” where all on-demand computing takes place. Any information shared, stored, processed, or managed on the internet must go through a data center. These buildings are inhibited by endless rows of computer servers that use huge amounts of energy to run. The rise of cloud computing, AI, and big data have driven data center demand in recent years.
Northern Virginia, in the middle of the Bay watershed, is the largest and fastest-growing data center market in the world, housing about 50% of the US’s data center facilities. Approximately 70% of the world’s internet goes through Northern VA). As of 2023, Northern VA boasted 51 million sq ft of data centers, with 58.6 million more planned to come.
Companies choose to build data centers in Northern Virginia partly due to its fiber connectivity. This characteristic is essential for fast data sharing and efficient digital operations, making Northern Virginia an attractive location for data-based development. Virginia also has a mild climate with moderate temperatures, which helps reduce the energy cost from cooling and heating. Additionally, Northern Virginia’s proximity to Washington, DC makes it advantageous for data center developers, as it reduces latency for high-speed operations in major government agencies, financial institutions, and tech companies.
As Northern Virginia has developed into a major data center hub, real estate prices and operational costs have increased. This includes the cost of land, power, and taxes, making it less economically attractive for new data center developments compared to other regions, especially rural areas. A developer can acquire a piece of rural land at a significantly lower cost compared to an equivalent-sized parcel in an industrial or urban area. Hence, data center developers are beginning to move their planning out of urban areas and into rural regions.
The rapid growth in Northern Virginia has also simply led to less land available for new data center projects. As prime locations become occupied, companies are looking to other areas with more available space. With the increasing concern about the environmental impact of large data centers, companies are starting to seek locations where environmental regulatory pressures are less intense, so they can operate with less pushback. Other regions in the Chesapeake offer incentives, such as tax breaks, attracting data center investments. These incentives can make it more financially advantageous to build in these areas. Sounds like a good deal to move outside of Northern Virginia then, right? Well, when it comes to the surrounding environment and communities, not exactly…
Diesel generators that can negatively impact air quality at a data center in Ashburn, VA. Photo credit: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, The Washington Post
Data centers pose significant environmental challenges due to their extraordinary energy use. To meet this demand, developers have returned to fossil fuels. This reliance on fossil fuels threatens regional climate goals, including Virginia’s 2045 mandate for 100% clean electricity and Maryland’s 2035 target. Water-dependent cooling systems are also often incorporated into data centers. These cooling systems can use up to 5 million gallons per day, lowering water tables and straining resources, while the roughly 60,000-square-foot impervious footprints of data centers increase stormwater runoff and pollutant transport into waterways.
Beyond energy and water pressures, data center development requires extensive land clearing that converts farmland, disrupts soils, and fragments habitat, which significantly degrades ecosystem benefits. New transmission lines that are built to power data centers often cut through farms, historical sites, and forests vital to the Bay’s tourism economy and local identity. Data center developers also tend to incorporate backup diesel generators to support energy demands during grid outages. These generators emit particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide that pose serious health risks to surrounding communities and local wildlife.
As these industrial buildings encroach on residential communities, concerns over noise, pollution, night lighting, and declining property values intensify. Despite resident objections over scenery loss, health risks, environmental concerns, and reduced market value, county supervisors often emphasize the substantial tax revenue data centers generate. This practice of local development policy prioritizes short-term economic benefit over long-term sustainability and community well-being.
Data centers being built 50 feet from a residential neighborhood in northern Virginia. Photo Credit: Jahi Chikwendiu, The Washington Post
Rapid data center expansion across the Chesapeake Bay region has raised broad concerns for disfavored communities, as the burdens of large-scale digital infrastructure often fall disproportionately across our varied communities.These projects can disrupt cultural landscapes, diminish quality of life, and threaten sites of historic and spiritual significance. This is unfortunately a reality for the Gaskins-Slave-Sevinson Cemetery, a historically Black cemetery that is now surrounded by an Iron Mountain data center.
Despite being registered with Virginia’s Prince William County and the county’s required 25-ft buffer to protect cemeteries, the construction of the Iron Mountain data center and the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative substation got within feet of the burial site. This construction damaged and encroached upon two well-documented African American cemeteries tied to generations of freed Black families. Gravesites were disturbed and access was compromised, revealing gaps in oversight and showcasing how vulnerable communities can be overlooked in the rush to develop. As data center development increases in pace across the region, stronger safeguards must protect communities, and allow for their participation in the development process.
Forest buffers are one of many ways to mitigate the impacts of data centers, like this buffer planted in Westminster, MD at Wakefield Valley Golf Course.
If we want to protect the Bay’s wildlife, streams, and communities, a significant shift in the approach to this development is necessary. The future of data center development within the Chesapeake Bay will depend on whether rapid expansion is matched with sustainable practices and environmental consciousness. Emerging approaches like liquid cooling using treated wastewater, off-site renewable energy, battery storage systems, and on-site green infrastructure offer real potential to reduce environmental strain. The effectiveness of these approaches is dependent on honest accounting of net ecological impacts, rather than greenwashing.
The good news is, however, that there are environmentally conscious developers doing what they can to curb the effects of this growth. Some developers are striving to offset the negative ecological footprint of these activities by investing in buffers to filter water entering nearby streams, treating wastewater for cooling, and integrating heat recovery systems into their campuses. Understanding and applying sustainability practices like these can help data centers reduce their environmental impact while optimizing their performance and advancing the technology field.
From the wildlife we love, to the communities we live in, protecting our ecosystems across the watershed is paramount.
Data center expansion in the Chesapeake Bay region is more than a story about technological progress, it is a growing industry with impacts that extend beyond the borders of any single facility. Without greater transparency, stronger permitting requirements, and public collaboration, the cumulative strain on water resources, ecosystems, and surrounding communities will only intensify. As the demand for digital infrastructure accelerates, we must ensure that development does not come at the expense of one of America’s most vital and vulnerable watersheds. Responsible growth is essential to protecting the Chesapeake Bay for generations to come.
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