The Birmingham darter is a point of concern for environmentalists.
Environmental groups are seeking federal assistance to protect a fish species only found near land slated for a data center campus in Bessemer. The Center for Biological Diversity, along with three other groups, filed a petition on November 13 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Birmingham darter as an endangered species. Only six populations of the two-inch-long fish still live in the Valley Creek system and are now threatened by the potential $14 billion dollar data center, according to environmental activists.
“These phenomenal fish will slide further toward extinction if this data center is built, so we have to act fast,” said Will Harlan, Southeast director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “They’ve been swimming in these creeks for millions of years, but without immediate protections they’ll disappear forever.”
The darter fish, which have turquoise fins and red-streaked bodies, are a newly discovered species whose only known habitat is Jefferson County. The fish have already been threatened by nearby limestone quarrying, according to the petition. The Alabama Rivers Alliance, Black Warrior Riverkeeper, and The People’s Justice Council also endorsed the petition. The federal agency has three months to issue its initial findings on the status of the Birmingham darter and determine a procedural course.
Environmental activists say that the proposed data center will also threaten the watercress darter fish species, which is already federally designated as endangered, as well as the Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge a few miles away.
“In a state where polluting industry and development are incentivized and natural resources are overlooked, we must do a better job safeguarding our remaining intact ecosystems, spring-fed streams, and native fishes that call them home,” said Nelson Brooke, Riverkeeper for Black Warrior Riverkeeper.
The developer for Project Marvel, proposed by Logistics Land Investment LLC, which is owned by Atlanta-based TPA Group, has requested two million gallons of water per day to service the site. Utility provider Warrior River Water Authority has already said that its system lacks capacity to meet that demand, per Inside Climate News.
The proposed data center has yet to complete the zoning process with the City. The Bessemer City Council is scheduled to vote on rezoning the 700 acres of land off Rock Mountain Lake Road on November 18 at 9 AM.
The data center would include 18 buildings in a 4.5 million-square-foot campus on rural timber land near unincorporated county limits. Residents surrounding the site, along with others nearby, have come out in numbers at public meetings, raising their concerns over limitations on water and power, pollution, wildlife endangerment, and traffic.
To date, neither Project Marvel’s developers nor city officials have publicly released environmental or health-related studies.