Google faces opposition to Botetourt data center

Opposition to a Google data center campus planned for a 312-acre parcel at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield seemed to intensify over the spring following news reports that the project would initially need 2 million gallons of water per day. As it grows, that need could balloon to 8 million gallons per day.

A March 10 open house hosted by the Western Virginia Water Authority attracted a steady stream of mild-mannered attendees who wanted to understand more about how the data center campus could affect the region’s water supply, like Ron Lovern of Buchanan.

“I’ve been reading about it,” Lovern says. “I’m trying to learn a little bit more.”

Lovern doesn’t consider himself an environmental activist, but he mentioned concerns about the project, including possible declines in adjacent property values and potential health effects from noise.

A more outspoken group were the few dozen opponents of the Google data center who showed up at the Botetourt County Administration Center before a March 24 Board of Supervisors meeting. They carried signs painted with slogans such as “Water not data” and “We Deserve Transparency.” Several residents spoke against the project during the meeting’s public comment period.

On March 26 — a little more than nine months after Botetourt County announced Google’s $14.1 million purchase of the parcel — the California-based tech company confirmed its intentions for Daleville with a news release.

“Google today announced plans to develop a data center campus in Botetourt County, centered on a commitment to responsibly build digital infrastructure through water stewardship, collaborative construction and investment in the local community and workforce,” the company said in a statement.

The announcement offered few new details about the project, although the company stressed it will pay for “all infrastructure required to serve the data center’s operations” related to water use.

Formed in 2025 to oppose the project, the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance issued a news release March 27. Among its concerns, the group said Google’s announcement relied on broad claims without offering specifics.

“It’s like it was written by AI with the prompt to be positive and vague, yet appear genuine,” Julie Bivins, co-founder of the alliance, said in a statement.

A Google spokesperson told Virginia Business the company must attain approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and finalize local permits before construction can begin.