Port Washington neighbors are raising questions about water use and environmental oversight surrounding the $15 billion "Lighthouse" AI data center campus being developed by Vantage in what was once rural farmland.
READ ALSO | TMJ4 gets rare look inside a Vantage data center amid debate over $15 billion Wisconsin project
Residents say they want more transparency about how energy and water usage will be measured — and what legal protections will be in place as the hyper-scale facility takes shape.
"I think there's a lot of confusion," said Port Washington neighbor Anna Seidl. "I'm certainly confused. I don't know what's happening anymore.
Seidl said she wants the developers to make information publicly available.
"Show me on paper. Have a website. Let's see it. Everything's been, to me, kind of hush-hush," Seidl said.
The Wisconsin chapter of the Sierra Club is suing the Department of Natural Resources over the absence of an environmental impact statement for the project. Elizabeth Ward, director of the Wisconsin chapter of the Sierra Club, said the lawsuit is about holding developers accountable.
"Some of our members live, unfortunately, right across the street," Ward said.
Ward questioned what the DNR's decision means for future enforcement.
"If the DNR reversed course on simply doing a review on the environmental impacts, which is what happened here, what does that mean about the level of enforcement they plan to ensure going forward?" Ward said.
Ward said the path to transparency remains unclear.
"So I'm not sure I can speak exactly to what it looks like. Whether it's a website that Vantage owns and runs, whether it's something the city puts up, or the water utility," Ward said.
When asked what long-term transparency looks like beyond the environmental impact statement itself, Ward said the concerns extend further than just reporting data.
"I think the concerns go beyond reporting what the impacts are, but also ensuring they minimize the impacts as much as possible," Ward said.
The Port Washington water utility superintendent said the city is installing two new water meters this week that will track exactly how much water the data center facility uses, and the facility will be billed accordingly.
Seidl said she wants to see those numbers.
"I would love to see the bills. My water bill has gone up significantly, but it's not because of that right now, but is it gonna go up any more?" Seidl said.
The city water utility declined a request to view the meters and how they work, citing security concerns. The utility also said it cannot release exact usage numbers without the customer's consent.
Vantage Data Centers says its sprawling multi-building facility in Port Washington will use 22,000 gallons of water daily for kitchens and bathrooms, plus a one-time use of about 12 million gallons — equivalent to 18 Olympic-sized swimming pools — for a key component in its data centers.
Signage inside a Vantage facility in Virginia says the company's goal is to build "sustainable data centers that minimize environmental impacts." But questions remain about whether those promises will be kept.
Watch: Vantage North America says it has been open about the project from the start
Vantage North America President Dana Adams said the company has been open about the project from the start.
"We've been very transparent with the project from the beginning. We do have information that's publicly available on our, on our website about the details of the project," Adams said.
The website details for its Lighthouse Port Washington project include information about power, cooling, and sustainability. Vantage uses a closed-loop water cooling system to reduce water consumption and containment areas to reduce energy needs in data halls with computer servers running 24/7.
Environmental groups are suing the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, claiming environmental impact statements for the Port Washington site were not completed.
Adams said the company went through a rigorous review with state regulators.
"I think what we can say very clearly is that we worked very closely with DNR to go through a very thorough vetting process on this project, and they were very diligent in that process in making sure that they got all of the information from us," Adams said.
Vantage says it will comply with state regulations on air and noise emissions and will conduct its own monitoring. When asked whether air quality monitoring results could be made public, Adams said it "depends."
"It depends on the circumstances. I think we want to be transparent and we understand that we need to be accountable for complying with what the regulations are and for complying with the information we've given so that we can obtain permits and move ahead with the project," Adams said.
Vantage is also pointing to a $3 million commitment to fund a watershed restoration project in Port Washington to make the Valley Creek Corridor more sustainable as part of its environmental pledge.
This is part of an ongoing series on AI data centers. Wednesday's report looks at employment numbers, and Thursday's report examines energy needs and costs.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and Alex Gaul and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
