Environmental Impact

Are your internet habits killing the planet? The internet is quickly becoming a major contributor to climate change. Here's how to understand the problem—and what can be done to fix it. Arielle Samuelson heated.world May 28, 2024

Mussel shells off Connecticut's coast are getting less dense. Here's why scientists are concerned. By Vincent Gabrielle, Staff Writer April 27, 2024 The Register Citizen Torrington CT

This map shows known locations of State and Federal Listed Species and Critical Habitats in Waterford, CT. Information on listed species is collected and compiled by the Natural Diversity Data Base (NDDB) from a variety of data sources .  Exact locations of species have been buffered to produce the generalized locations.

Terrestrial ecology of Millstone Point April 1973

Prepared for Northeast Utilities Service Company, Hartford, Connecticut

Prepared by Environmental Analysts Incorporated, Garden City, New York   

A survey of the terrestrial flora and fauna of the Millstone Point, Connecticut, area during the period 1971 to 1973. [During this time, Millstone Unit l, a nuclear-powered generating plant, is presently operating on the site. Unit 2 is under -construction, and a construction permit application for Unit 3 has been submitted.] [NB Although there are a lot of "probably" and "may/might be" preludes to existence of listed wildlife, this survey is worth reading if only to provide a foundation for later, neutral studies of the area.]

Land and Water Resources Division Regulatory Districts

Coastal Boundary  Waterford, CT

Data center is proposed for land that is habitat for state and federal listed species:
Natural Diversity Data Base Areas Waterford CT DEEP December 2023  NOTE: This map, intended for use as a preliminary screening tool for conducting a Natural Diversity Data Base Review Request, shows known locations of State and Federal Listed Species and Critical Habitats. Information on listed species is collected and compiled by the Natural Diversity Data Base (NDDB) from a variety of data sources . Exact locations of species have been buffered to produce the generalized locations.

Proposed data center lies within 100 year flood zone: Q3 Flood Zone Data Waterford, CT

Proposed site has some poorly drained soil area: Soil Drainage Class Waterford, CT

Proposed site is on Wetlands: CT Inland Wetland Soils

Coastal management regulations are applicable: CT DEEP Coastal Permitting

The staggering ecological impacts of computation and the cloud, MIT Schwarzman College of Computing,  Steven Gonzalez Monserrate|MIT PhD candidate February 14, 2022. Anthropologist Steven Gonzalez Monserrate draws on five years of research and ethnographic fieldwork in server farms to illustrate some of the diverse environmental impacts of data storage.