FauquierTimes - 05/01/2024

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VIRGINIA GOLD CUP returns Saturday, Special section, pages 13-20 May 1, 2024

Our 207th year | Vol. 207, No. 18 | www.Fauquier.com | $2.00 VIRGINIA PRESS ASSOCIATION: BEST SMALL NEWSPAPER IN VIRGINIA 2017-2022

Warrenton mayor defends Amazon data center By Peter Cary

Piedmont Journalism Foundation

The special Warrenton Town Council meeting was called to hear from Dominion Energy about how it will run power lines to the proposed Amazon data center on Blackwell Road. But when Dominion failed to supply any new information, it spun into something else. Three council members tried to gain approval for one last check on noise the data center might emit, but the move clearly frustrated Mayor Carter Nevill, who launched into a nearly eight-minute speech, during which he defended the controversial Amazon project, the town council and staff — as well as the rigor of the town’s approval process. Nevill said the conditions in place to guarantee the data center complies with the town’s noise

ordinance are more than adequate and would be strictly enforced. He said that other council members were off base in comparing noise from a data center near Manassas with the Warrenton project. He objected to accusations he said he had heard that the majority of the council was “selling out to Amazon.” “Not a single one of us sided with Amazon,” he said. “We respected this process fairly, objectively, as we were elected to represent all of the citizens in Warrenton.” Perhaps most important, he laid out the reasons for siting this data center in Warrenton, making an argument for it that had not been heard since the early debates over the project, and possibly not even then. The data center can provide solid tax revenue, with low impact on town services, town spending, See DATA CENTER, page 2

TIMES STAFF PHOTO/HUNTER SAVERY

Mayor Carter Nevill launched into a nearly eightminute speech at a recent town council special meeting about the Amazon data center during which he defended the controversial project, the town council and staff — as well as the rigor of the town’s approval process.

New rules for ‘forever chemicals’ mean challenges, high costs By Hunter Savery Staff Writer

COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Blake Corum drafted by the LA Rams

What his selection in the NFL draft means for Fauquier County native and Michigan running back Blake Corum and his family Photo courtesy of Eric Bronson/University of Michigan Athletics See Pages 4 and 23

Fauquier County has until 2029 to remove “forever chemicals” from public drinking water to comply with new EPA standards, but it’s going to be a heavy lift. This month, the Environmental Protection Agency released a first-ofits-kind standard for regulating PFAS compounds; it places strict limits on the concentration of chemicals allowed in public drinking water. PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” are man-made chemical compounds that are incredibly difficult to destroy and do not break down naturally. They are found in water repellents, food wrappers, cosmetics, firefighting foam, cookware and other products and have been linked to many health issues. At least seven public water systems in Fauquier County will need better filters or upgrades to meet the new standards. Under the EPA’s new rules, public water utilities have until 2027 to

test their water systems for PFAS and make that data available to the public. The Fauquier County Water and Sanitation Authority has already completed its first round of testing and issued the results on April 10. “We are finding elevated PFAS levels on all sides of the county,” Ben Shoemaker, executive director of the Fauquier Water and Sanitation Authority, told the Fauquier Times. By 2029, the water utility must install a new filtration system or find a different water source for customers served by wells where PFAS has been detected — a unique challenge for Fauquier County’s decentralized system. Fauquier’s water system draws from about 50 wells spread across the county, serving various public systems — from New Baltimore, with nearly 9,000 customers, to small subdivisions with only a few dozen residents. See FOREVER, page 2

Meet Roman, winner of the Fauquier Times’ cutest rescue pet contest, page 26

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