Nicholas Prorock urges Kenosha council to impose moratorium on data centers over water risks

Nicholas Prorock told the Kenosha Common Council on March 16 that planned data centers near the area pose threats to local drinking water and urged the city to adopt a moratorium until independent reviews are released. "Closed loop cooling systems do not protect us," Prorock said during the public-comment period, adding that the city should "defend Mount Pleasant from data centers."

Prorock framed his remarks around water-safety concerns, saying local treatment plants "were not designed to filter out forever chemicals, antifungals, or anti corrosives" he said would be used in closed-loop systems. He also asserted that the city is pursuing a share of data-center investment and cited what he described as a $9,000,000 property-tax figure associated with those developments.

Prorock pressed Mayor Bogdala for a risk assessment and asked that any such analysis be made public, saying residents have a right to understand potential effects on Lake Michigan and local tap water. The speaker repeated a request that the council pass a moratorium while the city evaluates environmental and public-health risks.

The meeting record does not show a formal response from the mayor or a council vote on a moratorium; the council proceeded to other agenda items that evening. The request from Prorock remains a public-comment petition rather than a council directive or ordinance.