The Issue

Time to PAUSE to PLAN — Because There Is NO PLAN

Data center growth is impacting the quality of life for residents — construction without sufficient buffers, noise, higher electric bills, air quality concerns, diminishing water quality, and transmission lines threatening private property. Our house is on fire. The only way to stop a fire is to stop adding the accelerant.

The Foundation of the Problem

A County Built on Watershed

Prince William County sits on 43% watershed land — a fact that makes it uniquely vulnerable to industrial development. The Occoquan Reservoir, which serves as the primary drinking water source for hundreds of thousands of Northern Virginia residents, is already under severe stress.

Current testing shows the reservoir is at or near its limit for salinity levels and PFAS ("forever chemicals") contamination. Critical groundwater and water quality studies have not yet been completed — yet data center approvals continue at pace, adding enormous water consumption loads to an already strained system.

43%

Of PWC Land is Watershed

"The Occoquan Reservoir is already at its limit for salinity and forever chemicals. Required groundwater and water quality studies have not been completed."

4M / 15M

Gallons / Day

Gallons of water consumed per day by DC-region data centers — average day / peak summer day

Up to $37/mo

Per Month, Per Household

Projected addition to average Virginia household electric bill by 2040, per the General Assembly's own research agency

In Depth

The Six Core Concerns

Water Quality & the Occoquan Reservoir

4 million gallons a day. That's how much water data centers in the DC region already consume on an average day. On peak summer days, it's 15 million.¹ The region's own water supply planner projects that will grow to 22 million gallons a day on average — and over 80 million on peak days — by 2050.¹ In Loudoun County alone, data centers used nearly 900 million gallons of drinking water in 2023, a 250% increase over earlier years.² The Occoquan Reservoir — our regional drinking water source — is already registering elevated salinity and PFAS (forever chemical) contamination at concerning levels. Mandatory groundwater studies and comprehensive water quality assessments must be completed before any further approvals are granted. The consequences of inaction are irreversible.

Air Quality: Diesel Generators & Gas Turbines

Every data center facility relies on banks of diesel backup generators — with some campuses operating 4,000 or more diesel generators across Northern Virginia. Larger facilities are now incorporating gas turbine generators and on-site gas plants as primary power sources. These emit nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds — pollutants that degrade air quality for nearby residents, schools, parks, and sensitive populations including children and the elderly.

Transmission Lines & Substations

The power demands of data center campuses require massive new electrical infrastructure — high-voltage transmission lines and industrial substations that cut through residential neighborhoods, farmland, and protected natural areas. Dominion Energy estimates $9.3 billion in new grid investment will be needed to serve data center load growth, costs that are ultimately passed on to ratepayers. These installations permanently alter the landscape of communities that never consented to industrial-scale power infrastructure.

Rising Utility Bills

Up to $37 more per month. That's what Virginia's own legislative watchdog projects unchecked data center growth could add to the average household electric bill by 2040.³ Virginia families are already paying more: in 2026, the typical Dominion residential bill rose about $15 a month in base rates and fuel charges,⁴ and a separate fuel cost recovery added roughly $10 a month more starting in July.⁵ Dominion is building new generation and transmission to serve surging demand, most of it from data centers. The General Assembly's own research agency found that unconstrained data center growth could add $14 to $37 a month to residential bills by 2040.³

Grid Reliability & Blackout Risk

The concentration of enormous power loads in a single county creates systemic grid reliability risks. When demand spikes or infrastructure fails, the entire Northern Virginia grid — including hospitals, emergency services, and homes — faces elevated outage risk. Grid operators have already flagged Northern Virginia data center load growth as a reliability concern requiring urgent attention, and the $9.3 billion grid investment estimate underscores the scale of the problem.

Land Use & Community Character

According to PWC and Loudoun County data, more than 190 million square feet of data center space has been built, is under construction, has been approved, or is in the pipeline across the region. The county's own consultants — Camoin Associates and PFM Group — projected 33–53 million square feet of data center development over 20 years. The current pipeline is already roughly 1.5 times the high-end 20-year projection and more than double the midrange estimate. Once land is rezoned and developed, that change is irreversible. The cumulative impact of this scale of development is a fundamental transformation of the county's character, tax base, and quality of life that residents were never meaningfully asked to approve.

A Growing Movement

Other Jurisdictions Are Already Pausing

Prince William County is not alone. Across the country, communities facing the same pressures have taken action — enacting moratoriums, pausing approvals, and demanding comprehensive impact studies before allowing further development. The most significant precedent is right next door.

Landmark Precedent

Loudoun County, Virginia — September 2026

In September 2026, Loudoun County — the self-described "Data Center Alley" and the world's largest concentration of data centers — enacted a pause on new data center approvals. If the county that built its identity around data centers has concluded that a pause is necessary, Prince William County has every reason to follow suit.

Read Loudoun's Official Statement

Chesapeake & Virginia Beach, Virginia

Chesapeake restricted and Virginia Beach paused data center development amid concerns over power infrastructure and community impact.

Suffolk, Virginia

Moved one step closer to a temporary ban on new data center development pending infrastructure and environmental capacity reviews.

Maryland Counties

Multiple Maryland counties enacted restrictions on data center development following community opposition over noise, emissions, and grid strain.

Madison, Wisconsin

Paused data center approvals for one year pending updated zoning and environmental review.

Durham County, North Carolina

Enacted a moratorium on data center approvals to assess cumulative impacts on water, power, and community character.

Pima County & Tucson, Arizona

Pima County voted to halt new data center projects; Tucson adopted data center regulations amid drought and grid reliability concerns.

Documentation

Sources & Further Reading

The facts on this page are drawn from news reporting, government records, and independent research. We encourage you to read the primary sources.

Take Action

The Studies Must Come First

We are calling on our elected officials in Prince William County to enact a targeted, temporary 12-month deferral of all data center applications requiring a Board vote — so that leadership and communities can understand the actual impacts of the already approved data center growth and determine appropriate guardrails for our future.

Sign the Petition