SCRANTON, PA — Scranton City Council announced Tuesday that it will seek a formal meeting with Pennsylvania American Water (PAWC) to address growing concerns over a proposal to tap Lake Scranton as a primary cooling source for a massive new data center. The reservoir, which serves as a critical source of drinking water for city residents, has become the focal point of a debate over the industrialization of the region's natural resources.
The request for information was sparked by "Project Gravity," a proposed seven-building data center campus in neighboring Archbald. According to recent filings with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the developer aims to pump as much as 360,000 gallons of water per day from the Lake Scranton reservoir system to cool server racks. While PAWC and the DEP have indicated that the reservoir has sufficient capacity to handle the request, council members expressed skepticism about the long-term impact on water quality and availability, especially during periods of drought.
During the Tuesday night session, residents also voiced frustration over the cumulative impact of the data center "gold rush" in Lackawanna County. Beyond water usage, the discussion touched on the strain these facilities place on the electrical grid and the recurring issue of utility "pave cuts" on city streets. Council members noted the irony of PAWC seeking to sell large volumes of water to industrial developers while simultaneously petitioning the state for a 14% rate hike that would increase residential bills by hundreds of dollars a year.
The move by the council comes just as other local municipalities are beginning to push back against the industry. Earlier that same evening, supervisors in neighboring Ransom Township denied a zoning application for a separate data center project, citing a lack of evidence regarding its environmental and community impacts. Scranton officials emphasized that while many of these projects are physically located outside city limits, the environmental and financial consequences—particularly regarding the shared water supply—will be felt directly by Scranton ratepayers.