Tell WVDEP: Stop more wetland impacts at Monarch Data Center Campus
Since West Virginia lawmakers passed HB 2014 during the 2025 legislative session, local governments have virtually no ability to control where and how large-scale data centers are developed.
As data centers spread rapidly across the Mountain State, our communities and waters need strong state oversight and an active public voice.
Data Center projects can require enormous amounts of water, and West Virginians have been calling for clear answers about where that water will come from, how much will be used, and what that demand will mean for people living in close proximity to these buildouts.
At the same time, building these facilities means clearing land, moving soil, and filling or disturbing wetlands. Wetlands are part of our natural flood protection system, helping slow and absorb stormwater before it reaches nearby homes and waterways.
Those concerns are immediate at the Monarch Compute Campus (Monarch) in Mason County. Data center construction here (as pictured below) has already caused flooding and sediment problems for people living nearby in Mason County.
Right now, Monarch is seeking approval of a Section 401 Permit application to eliminate an estimated >28 acres acres of wetlands in Mason County. You can see a visualization of the impacts here.
Additionally, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) will now hold a public hearing on Monday, October 26 at Point Pleasant High School. There will be an informal workshop from 5:00 PM – 6 PM with a public hearing from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
DEP has already taken enforcement action over stormwater and erosion-control problems at the Monarch construction site, including sediment-laden water reaching neighboring properties. (Image from WSAZ NewsChannel 3.)
If the project can’t control its stormwater now, it shouldn’t be approved to impact even more wetlands.
WV Rivers is also asking DEP to investigate concerns about potential wetland disturbance before authorization and to look at the entire Monarch development, including its data centers, power generation, and associated gas and pipeline infrastructure.
Permitting these pieces separately should not prevent WVDEP from considering their combined impacts on water and communities.
Tell DEP to:
- Deny the Section 401 certification.
- Investigate potential unauthorized wetland disturbance.
- Require effective stormwater controls.
- Consider the cumulative impacts of the entire Monarch development.
Comments are due October 26.
Thank you for speaking up for clean water and the communities that depend on it.
For clean water & healthy communities,
WV Rivers Coalition
