Google's Second Data Center Raises Wetlands Concerns
TL;DR: Google's planned second data center campus in Chesterfield County is under federal environmental review due to concerns about impacts to wetlands and streams, with the company proposing compensatory mitigation measures.
Quick facts
- Who: Google LLC
- What: Second data center campus (Project Skye) planned; impacts to wetlands and stream channels under Army Corps of Engineers review
- When: Slated to go online by 2028, with federal permit decision pending; public comment deadline was June 11, 2026
- Where: Watkins Center Parkway near Route 288, Midlothian, Chesterfield County, Virginia
The story
Google is advancing its second major data center campus in Chesterfield County, called Project Skye, as part of a $9 billion investment in Virginia cloud and AI infrastructure through 2026. The roughly 350-acre project, located on Watkins Center Parkway near Route 288 in Midlothian, is intended to support growing demand for artificial intelligence and large-scale data processing, with a planned online date of 2028 and expansion to continue over the following six years.
Federal permit filings reveal that Project Skye will impact significant wetland and stream resources. According to Army Corps of Engineers documents, the development is expected to permanently impact over 20 acres of wetlands and roughly 8,000 feet of stream channels, along with smaller disturbances to intermittent streams. To offset these impacts, Google has proposed constructing roughly 11 acres of new wetlands and preserving 34.2 acres of existing wetlands at different sites within the South Anna River watershed, using mitigation credits to fund the work.
The project is currently under federal review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the Clean Water Act, with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission also involved in permitting. A public comment period on the application closed on June 11, 2026. Chesterfield County residents have raised transparency concerns throughout the approval process, noting that the county's Board of Supervisors approved the three Google projects (Project Peanut, Project Skye, and Project Loch) in public votes while concealing the developer's identity, and citing the use of nondisclosure agreements in related proceedings.
Project Skye is one of three interconnected Google data center campuses planned across approximately 1,500 acres in Chesterfield County. Project Peanut, near Meadowville on Bermuda Hundred Road, and Project Loch, near Moseley on Moseley Road west of Route 288, are each undergoing separate environmental and zoning reviews, with Project Loch also requesting federal approval for impacts to 4 acres of wetlands and roughly 3,000 feet of intermittent streams.
Key players
- Google LLC: Developer proposing Project Skye data center campus
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Federal regulator reviewing wetlands permit under Clean Water Act
- Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors: Local government body that approved zoning for the three Google projects
- Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC): State regulator involved in Clean Water Act permitting
Key dates
- 2026-06-11: Public comment deadline for Army Corps of Engineers permit application
- 2028: Project Skye data center campus targeted online date
- 2026-06-24: Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors residents meeting on data center expansion concerns
The case for
Data center operators play a critical economic and infrastructure role: Google's $9 billion investment in Virginia represents significant job creation during construction and operation, property tax revenue for Chesterfield County, and increased local economic activity. Large-scale data centers are essential infrastructure for cloud computing and AI services that power modern digital life, from healthcare systems to financial services to educational platforms. The sites Google selected were previously approved for industrial technology development, and the company's proposed mitigation (constructing new wetlands and purchasing preservation credits) directly funds ecosystem restoration that might not otherwise occur.
The case against
Large-scale development in wetland-adjacent areas raises legitimate environmental concerns. While Google proposes mitigation, the creation of 11 acres of new wetlands cannot guarantee full functional replacement of 20 acres of permanently impacted wetlands, which play complex roles in stormwater management, groundwater recharge, and wildlife habitat. The South Anna River watershed already faces stressors from residential and commercial development, and cumulative impacts from three separate data center projects on the same watershed deserve scrutiny. Additionally, the lack of public transparency in the approval process, including nondisclosure agreements and concealed developer identity, has eroded community trust and limited residents' ability to meaningfully engage with environmental review before decisions were made.
Why it matters: Chesterfield County residents face decisions that will reshape 1,500 acres of the county's landscape over the next two years, affecting local water resources, traffic, utilities, and long-term land use. The outcome of Google's federal wetlands permits and any additional environmental reviews will set a precedent for how the county balances economic development with environmental protection, and whether future infrastructure projects receive meaningful public input or proceed under confidentiality restrictions.
Places
Development timeline
- 2025-08-27Google announces $9 billion Virginia investment including Chesterfield data centers: Tech company reveals plans for three data center campuses across Chesterfield County as part of broader Virginia cloud and AI infrastructure investment [[source]](https://richmondbizsense.com/2025/08/27/breaking-news-google-planning-chesterfield-data-center-as-part-of-9b-expansion-in-virginia/)
- 2026-05-19Federal permits reveal Project Skye wetlands impacts: Army Corps of Engineers filings show Project Skye will impact over 20 acres of wetlands and 8,000 feet of streams, triggering formal environmental review [[source]](https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2026/05/19/google-data-center-chesterfield-army-corps-permit)
- 2026-06-11Public comment period closes on Project Skye permit: Army Corps of Engineers public comment deadline passes for Google's Watkins Center Parkway project [[source]](https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Regulatory-Program-and-Permits/)
- 2026-06-24Chesterfield residents demand answers on data center expansion: County residents pack Board of Supervisors meeting to voice concerns about transparency and cumulative impacts of three Google projects; residents pledge to stay engaged as proposals move forward [[source]](https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/residents-speak-out-on-data-centers-june-24-2026)
Related links
- Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors Agendas and Minutes
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District Regulatory Public Notices
- Chesterfield County Planning Division
Read the original at Google News: Chesterfield Data Center →
Sources
- Google's $9B bet on a trio of Chesterfield data center campuses
- Google's second Chesterfield data center could impact wetlands
- Breaking News: Google planning Chesterfield data center as part of $9B expansion in Virginia
- In Google, Chesterfield landed the 'Rolls-Royce of data center operators'
- Chesterfield residents voice concerns over new Google data center plan
- Residents demand answers on data center expansion