Data Center Proposed Next to Del Puerto Creek
Rumors of a proposed data center had been spreading throughout Patterson, a Central Valley city bordering the Diablo Range in Stanislaus County.
It began in May, when residents heard that city staff were approached by a landowner. The landowner, who owns a property near Del Puerto Creek, had apparently spoken to the city’s Community Development Department about constructing the data center.
The following month, the rumor was confirmed. By July, residents were demanding that the city council act against it.
The council quickly arranged a special meeting in mid-July. In a 4-0 vote, they approved a 45-day moratorium, or suspension, on data centers.
The large community response, organized by concerned residents and Central Valley groups including Save Del Puerto Canyon and Valley Improvement Projects, was powerful and effective.
Its messaging was simple: a data center isn’t right for Patterson, especially without lots of project review.
The Patterson City Council considers the moratorium on data centers at their July 16 special meeting. Photo: Patterson City Council public meeting footage
To further convince the city council that the moratorium was the right decision, Save Mount Diablo submitted an extensive comment letter.
It included a survey we’d done showing the incredible biodiversity of Del Puerto Creek and comments on why a moratorium was important.
The collective effort was a big success, with the council voting in favor of Patterson residents!
Impacts Reach Far beyond the Data Center
Save Mount Diablo has worked closely with one of the active community groups, Save Del Puerto Canyon, on a separate issue.
A major reservoir project threatens the beautiful canyon right outside of the city. And the agency in charge, the Del Puerto Water District, has been trying to sidestep public input and avoid proper environmental review.
Though the two issues seem largely different, the moratorium offers a unique opportunity to fight against the reservoir.
“Areas where data centers could possibly be built include land to the north and west of Patterson near the pre-planned Del Puerto Canyon nature park we’ve been fighting for and the eastern section of Del Puerto Creek that supports rare and sensitive wildlife,” says Chris Quock, a volunteer with Save Del Puerto Canyon.
“A moratorium on data centers would be good for our efforts to fight for the pre-planned nature park and to protect Del Puerto Canyon.”
The Gateway Rocks of Del Puerto Canyon, site of the pre-planned Del Puerto Canyon nature park, with Del Puerto Creek flowing out to the City of Patterson. The proposed reservoir would drown this area. Photo: Cooper Ogden
The moratorium is a great example of how elected officials can make the right decision by listening to their communities.
Though the Patterson moratorium is only temporary, it is a step in the right direction. Residents deserve time to become aware of projects and organize to support or oppose them.
This awareness and breathing room are becoming especially important as communities start to see more controversial data center proposals.
Pittsburg Enters a Fight of Its Own
One of these projects is in Mount Diablo’s backyard: a data center that received approval several years ago but has recently caught residents by surprise.
That data center was approved under the name “Pittsburg Technology Park.” Residents say they were misled and unaware that a “hyperscale,” 500-megawatt data center was going to be built only hundreds of feet away from a residential neighborhood.
The project will also be developed on land next to the Stoneman Trailhead and city-owned open space.
Save Mount Diablo had previously commented on this project many years before its approval in 2024, requesting that proper environmental review be conducted. But as the project has progressed, more people are beginning to pay attention.
Similar to the response in Patterson, a community-led, grassroots group called Stop Pittsburg Data Center has organized city residents while leading the charge against the project.
Residents speak against the proposed data center in Pittsburg. Photo: Pittsburg City Council public meeting footage
Their communications led hundreds of people to protest the project at city meetings, and tens of thousands to sign petitions against it.
Residents were outraged with the effects a data center would have on the neighboring community, including an increase in air and noise pollution. They are also upset about the potential impacts on children considering the project site’s vicinity to five schools.
The community response has forced Pittsburg to hold special meetings and workshops to address the pushback from residents. Residents are hopeful they can stop the project before it ever starts.
Insane Proposal for a Data Center on Public Land
A data center or similar project proposal within the Diablo Range would not come as a surprise, especially with the recent oil and gas leasing proposals on public lands in the range.
Save Mount Diablo remains vigilant in monitoring any new proposals, especially after the recent, insane federal government decision to put a data center on public lands in Nevada.
An oil well in the Coalinga Valley, with the eastern foothills of the Diablo Range visible in the background. Threats from oil extraction, data centers, and other development are impacting the Diablo Range. Photo: Al Johnson
Approved in July of this year, the 88.5-acre Townsite Data Center is located on federally managed public land in the Eldorado Valley within the city limits of Boulder City, Nevada.
This data center will have disastrous implications for the environment and only encourages future potential projects on public land. No environmental review or public consultation even occurred during the decision-making process.
This project could set a precedent for future destruction of our precious public lands, especially considering its placement. It is located in the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin with proposed construction over endangered desert tortoise habitat.
Nearly all data center proposals have at least given the public a chance to oppose them. The public has expressed clear frustration over the impacts data centers have on human health, the cost of living, and the environment.
Building a data center on public lands without input from the public is simply outrageous.
Our open space and public lands are some of the last great resources we can all use. As with many proposals to exploit open space and destroy nature, data centers are another careless profiteering exercise.
View from the Panoche Hills, which is federally owned, public land in the Diablo Range, and home to San Joaquin Desert habitat, much of which has been lost elsewhere. Photo: Steven dePaschalis
It begs the question, where do we draw the line?
We should draw it in front of our elected officials, at public hearings, and through public comment, like the local communities in Patterson and Pittsburg.
And if we aren’t given a chance to voice our opinion, like in the case of Townsite Data Center? It becomes more important than ever to come together and make our voices heard: through coalitions, advocacy groups, and collective action.
Whether it be standing up to a data center or any other destruction to protected lands, our collective voice will always ring louder together.
