As Minnesota moves to become a mecca for the data center industry, where can citizens go to try and obtain some condensed information on which they can start to form an opinion on the issues at hand? That is my attempt with this page. 

The information I post here are the resources I have found worthwhile for my writings as I try to process a vast amount of data and condense it into beneficial writings for others to learn from and use.  I have plenty of reservations and concerns about the proposed data center near me in Hampton, as do many people in their communities, but in order to make an educated decision one needs to pursue the facts.

I welcome any constructive input and source documentation, should you find error in the facts I write about.  Provided with additional information, one is able to refine their point of view and opinions on a topic, in the pursuit of being as accurate as possible.

I can be reached at StayfreeMN@gmail.com

~Erik Porten

Summary of reports and reading:

An extreme amount of water seems to be beneath us. That is not to say the trends of the last many years will continue or that they won't possibly fluctuate, upward or downward, the question I am asking is, are these potential water numbers a concern to my well running dry?

The most current water use numbers provided in the AUAR Draft for the potential Hampton data center (near me) is currently at 12.5MGY.  Certainly such numbers are not insignificant, but in the overall amount of water that is being already pumped out of the Prairie Du Chien - Jordan aquifer, is it statistically significant? In the summer months, more than 1.5 Billion gallons of water are being pumped out monthly from one portion of Dakota County alone (Area B listed above).  Data centers often state water usage from April-October as winter months bring natural cooling capabilities. Every data center's water use will be different and as of right now I'm aware of 9 possible data centers being built: 1 in Apple Valley, 3 in Rosemount, 2 in Farmington, 1 in Eagan, 1 in Hampton, and 1 in Cannon Falls.  I only have numbers for Hampton's potential water use (if other people reading this have specifics about their city's data center I welcome updating your numbers), but reference right now, at 12.5MGY x 9 that equates to 112.5MGY for all these data centers. And one pumping location (Area B) from the report above pumps 500Million gallons per month (500Mx12=6Billion GPY). Another Met Council report states the Dakota county area pumps and used around 16BGY in 2021. These data centers look to use less than 2% of the total water pulled out of "Area B" from Dakota County and this number only gets smaller when factoring in all the water pumped from Dakota County.

And should there be any 'well interference' with nearby wells, private, public, or agricultural, the DNR and state law has a very clear statute for handling those types of issues.  I have emailed the DNR to inquire how many well interference complaints there have been in the last 10 years, as of 1/22/25 I am waiting for a reply.  Further more, as the below statutes state, which I reference in my Water article, the industrial water use, which data centers are considered, are 5th on the hierarchy in any periods of low water. This means they get shut off before agricultural use (3rd) and domestic water use (1st water priority).  

Let's not be motivated by fear when considering these data centers. Let's pause to look at the facts so that we can make the best decisions possible for our communities. 

Energy Links and Resources:

Considerations and discussion articles in relation to energy and climate concerns:

Noise Research, Links, and Resources:

On March 1, 2025 I stopped at the Mayes County Google Data Center in Pryor Oklahoma.  From my research this data center was started in 2007, first operational in 2011 and since has been expanded multiple times.  In 2023 this data center consumed approximately 815 MGY (million gallons/year), second highest in the country behind Council Bluff's Iowa which estimates water usage at 980 MGY.  The Mayes County data center is situated on approximately 800 acres in the MidAmerica Industrial Park.  The total building square footage is well over 1,500,000 sqft, but specific numbers are difficult to come by after multiple building expansions.  The total amount of power consumption is also difficult to source, but seems to be well over 100MW as they are building and buying power from new energy sources totaling over 724MW.

As industrial noise is common concern I've heard mentioned by citizens regarding data centers, I have uploaded videos I took while near this site along with corresponding distance measurements. I did not hear any industrial noise emanating from the Mayes County data center, nor any tones or vibrations.