Botetourt Residents Protest Data Center Over 11 Million-Gallon Water Emails as Drought Grips Virginia
Updated
Updated · WSET · Jul 16
Botetourt Residents Protest Data Center Over 11 Million-Gallon Water Emails as Drought Grips Virginia
1 articles · Updated · WSET · Jul 16
Summary
Weekend protests in Botetourt County are targeting a proposed data center after FOIA records showed discussions of 10 million to 11 million gallons of water a day.
Those figures far exceeded the 2 million gallons per day residents say they were told at public meetings, sharpening accusations that county leaders and project officials were not transparent.
Western Virginia Water Authority Executive Director Mike McEvoy said the larger numbers came from early talks before a Sept. 10, 2025 agreement, and that most requests were rejected in favor of a 2 million-gallon daily commitment.
Residents still want local leaders to pause approvals for new data centers until stronger environmental safeguards are in place, with Virginia's ongoing drought intensifying scrutiny of who gets access to regional water.