Ohio looks to fast-track wastewater discharge permits

WVXU spoke with Bradford Mank, James B. Helmer Jr. Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati, about a proposal by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to streamline the way wastewater discharge permits are issued to data centers around the state.

Critics argue that fast-tracking wastewater discharge permits will compromise the health and safety of the public while the Ohio EPA says the move is necessary for economic development, reports WVXU.

Ohio has more than 200 data centers which consist of warehouses filled with computer equipment which generate a lot of heat and require massive amounts of water to cool down computers. The data centers apply for the wastewater discharge permits to get rid of water used at their locations.

Mank told WVXU that the permits limit the amount of pollution any manufacturer can discharge into water like the Ohio River. He added that allowing the centers to apply for a general permit is designed to be an expedited process.

“General permits make it a lot easier for industry to operate without many restrictions — they basically have uniform restrictions that apply to everybody,” Mank told WVXU. “So, they can basically send a postcard saying, ‘We're operating our business,’ and that's all they have to do.”

Mark is an expert in administrative law, environmental and natural resources law and property at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

Listen to the story about wastewater discharge permits online.

Learn more about UC Law’s Bradford Mank online.

Featured top photo of wastewater plant provided by Istock.