The Nashville Zoo has become an unlikely battleground in America’s data centre race

U.S. Air Force Col. Mark Henderson of Mississippi videoing giraffes at Nashville Zoo, in early stages of the eclipse in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Borenstein)

Before the sun has fully risen, Dr. Heather Schwartz is already warming up a bottle. A clouded leopard cub no bigger than her hands wiggles impatiently, waiting to be fed by the Nashville Zoo’s animal health director.

Cradled in her arms, the newborn suckles eagerly, its tiny paws paddling the air with every gulp.

Schwartz spends her days helping the cub use the bathroom, socializing it and patiently teaching it how to safely interact with its keepers as it grows. It’s around-the-clock work at the Nashville Zoo, the only institution in the United States to successfully breed the species this past breeding season, to help the vulnerable animals survive.

But now zoo officials say a planned data centre just beyond its perimeter could introduce constant noise, light and industrial activity that may disrupt the environmental conditions critical not only for the clouded leopard breeding program, but for the more than 3,000 animals that call the zoo home.

The dispute has become part of a broader national debate over the rapid expansion of data centers to support growing demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence systems.

DC BLOX, the Atlanta-based digital infrastructure company behind the proposal, says the zoo’s concerns will be addressed through its modern data center design.

There are some 4,000 data centers throughout the US. In communities nationwide, residents have increasingly challenged proposed developments over concerns about electricity demand, water consumption, noise, light pollution and environmental impacts.

“I think this is indicative of the type of interactions that data centers are now finding themselves having to deal with: concerned communities because of larger concerns around power, noise, emissions, water and other impacts,” Costa Samaras, director of the Carnegie Mellon University Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, told CNN.

A petition launched by the zoo has gathered more than 500,000 signatures in four weeks, and has been amplified by public figures, including country music artist Brad Paisley, who called the project “an absolute nightmare.”

Nashville Zoo CEO Rick Schwartz said he is not aware of any other accredited zoo in the country that has publicly fought a proposed data center immediately outside its boundaries, calling the situation unprecedented.

Even with DC BLOX’s proposed mitigation measures, Rick Schwartz said the zoo believes no industrial-scale data center should be adjacent to the facility, because too much remains unknown about the effects on sensitive wildlife.

Why the zoo says wildlife could be affected

All the habitats at the Nashville Zoo are sensitive, Rick Schwartz said, but because the clouded leopard exhibit sits closest to the proposed data center, the species would be especially vulnerable to noise and light pollution.

Much of the zoo’s success in breeding clouded leopards over the past 30 years stems from its hand-rearing program, which Dr. Schwartz explained helps prevent parental neglect — which is common in the species — and reduces stress on the cubs while gradually acclimating them to the sights and sounds of human interactions in the exhibit.

Hand-raising also allows keepers to pair cubs at an early age. Early introductions significantly reduce aggression between males and females, leading to more successful breeding outcomes. But zoo officials worry that the constant noise and vibrations from a data center could interfere with future reproduction efforts.

Many animals can also hear in ranges outside of what humans are capable of, Heather Kostick, associate director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, told CNN.

Kostick said data centers create a low humming noise, which can usually be felt by animals and can be known to alter behavior. Animals including elephants and cassowaries, both of which can be found at the Nashville Zoo, are impacted by that noise because they communicate through low-frequency vibrations, she said.

“Zoo animals are often already living in semi-unnatural habitats including more often noise from an urban environment, and zookeepers work hard to make those habitats as natural-feeling as possible for the animals through enrichment, habitat design and carefully balanced meals,” Kostick said.

She said the data center would create additional noise pollution, making it harder for zookeepers to make the animals’ habitats as livable as possible.

Zoo officials also say they’re worried about the strain a 50-megawatt facility could place on the electrical grid. Rick Schwartz pointed to previous outages that have already affected zoo operations, including a multi-day power loss during this year’s February ice storm, saying additional demand on the grid could complicate care for the animals.

But with almost no data measuring the degree and effects of sensory pollution from data centers, it’s challenging to confidently predict the project’s impacts, said Neil Carter, an associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability.

That uncertainty lies at the heart of the disagreement. Zoo officials argue the lack of research is a reason to avoid placing a data center next to the facility, while DC BLOX says there is no evidence its construction would harm the zoo.

“We’re not against data centers; we’re just against it here,” Schwartz, the zoo CEO, said.

The future of the proposal

DC BLOX told CNN the project would be built in phases, beginning with a roughly 70,000 square-foot facility followed by a second building measuring approximately 261,000 square feet.

The center would use a closed-loop cooling system designed to conserve water, include measures to reduce light pollution and limit sound levels at the property line to 65 decibels, according to DC BLOX – about equal to the noise of a business office.

A previous tenant operated a data center on the same property, DC BLOX noted, though Rick Schwartz argued the comparison is misleading because the earlier facility was significantly smaller than what is currently proposed.

Samaras of Carnegie Mellon University described the Nashville proposal as smaller than many of the large-scale data centers making headlines nationwide, but said it would still be a significant energy consumer.

“In Tennessee, 1 megawatt can power about 630 average homes, so this 50-megawatt data center could consume the same power as about 31,500 Tennessee homes,” Samaras said.

He said some of the zoo’s concerns, particularly those involving noise and diesel backup generators, are reasonable areas for scrutiny. But Samaras also noted the company’s proposed closed-loop cooling system would likely use water at levels comparable to other large facilities, such as hospitals.

DC BLOX told CNN it is meeting with city representatives and the zoo’s board, but did not provide specific details about a timeline for construction or permits it has received.

In an effort to halt the proposal, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell filed legislation at the end of June that, if approved, would allow the city to acquire the property near the zoo. O’Connell said the city has a “legitimate need” for the property and remains concerned about its proposed use.

The process could take six to eight weeks, according to the mayor’s office.

With key decisions still ahead, the Nashville Zoo and its supporters continue their efforts to help the clouded leopard — and countless other species — thrive.

They hope the only sounds echoing through the zoo will continue to be the calls of its animals.