The same power grid and water supply that serve Everett households are at the center of a growing fight over data centers in Snohomish County.

At a public hearing on Aug. 19 in the Robert J. Drewel Building in Everett, nearly every speaker urged the County Council to ban large-scale computing facilities outright rather than simply pause them.

All but one person who testified during the 35-minute hearing opposed allowing data centers in unincorporated Snohomish County, according to Snoho.com. Additional written comments opposing data centers were also submitted.

"Don't trade our farms, our forests and our quiet, peaceful homes for data centers," Arlington-area resident Julie Winchell told the council.

Speakers cited power grid strain, water consumption and the loss of rural character as reasons to go beyond the current six-month moratorium, which the council unanimously approved June 24 under Emergency Ordinance 26-026. That freeze covers any facility requiring 2 megawatts or more of electricity on unincorporated county land. It expires Dec. 24.

The moratorium does not apply to cities, including Everett.

Extension likely

County Councilman Nate Nehring, who sponsored the moratorium, said the rulemaking process will take long enough to require extending the freeze past its December expiration.

County staff confirmed they are actively developing regulations. The ordinance allows a six-month renewal if the council holds another public hearing and adopts findings of fact before extending it.

No data center proposals had been filed in unincorporated Snohomish County before the moratorium took effect. Nehring said he sought the emergency action to ensure regulation was in place before any developer could file.

In an Aug. 18 commentary in the Lynnwood Times, Nehring wrote that data center impacts on land use, infrastructure, energy, water demand and neighboring communities weigh heavily on residents' minds.

One dissenting voice

Evan Mathiasen, a resident of unincorporated Snohomish County, was the lone speaker to argue against a full ban. He said data centers and AI infrastructure will be built somewhere and that he would rather see the county establish strong standards requiring companies to contribute to the communities where they operate.

Other speakers pushed back on that framing. Betsy Case said rolling six-month moratoriums leave people hanging and urged the council to stand up and say "no more." Melissa Brinks of Marysville said the county shouldn't sell out its region for corporate profit growth that won't be reinvested locally.

What's at stake

A single large data center can consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day, equivalent to a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people, according to the Everett Herald. Hyperscale facilities, the type driving most public concern, require 100 megawatts or more of electricity. Snohomish PUD considers any customer requesting more than 2.5 megawatts a large-load customer and has been planning for a potential influx of such requests.

U.S. data center power usage is forecast to more than double between 2025 and 2027, according to a May 2026 Goldman Sachs briefing.

No date has been set for a moratorium extension vote or for when draft regulations will be presented to the council. The current freeze runs through Dec. 24.