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Data centers in Botetourt County, Virginia: 1 project mapped
In June 2025 Google paid Botetourt County $14 million for 312 acres of the Greenfield industrial park in Daleville, most of the park's remaining land. A March 2026 Army Corps of Engineers notice for "Project Raspberry" showed three data centers, three substations and an office building, Cardinal News reported. The notice said the work would permanently affect about 3 acres of wetlands and almost 7,000 feet of stream channel and clear about 120 acres of forest within the range of the endangered Indiana bat. Google confirmed the campus on March 26. The county expects $30 million a year in tax revenue, more than from any other business, WDBJ reported. Google has committed to at least 50 jobs at each building.
Water drives the fight. The first phase would draw on Carvins Cove, a reservoir serving Roanoke, Botetourt and neighboring localities, under a county agreement with the Western Virginia Water Authority estimating 2 million gallons a day at first and up to 8 million with expansion. The authority says the Carvins Cove plant produces 10 million to 12 million gallons a day and can treat 24 million. Supervisors' chairman Mac Scothorn said the chance of Google actually using 2 million gallons a day was "pretty low". The authority says Google will recycle the water three to five times before sending it to the sewer system. It had expected to need a new regional water source in about 35 years regardless of Google and has started planning early. Google says the 79 megawatts it buys from the Rocky Forge wind farm in the county will not cover the campus. In September, Appalachian Power disclosed that the campus's peak electricity demand will be about 300 megawatts, a figure neither the utility nor Google had made public before; the utility says a nine-figure grid upgrade to serve the project will not raise other customers' rates.
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Opposition grew through the spring. Protesters carrying "Water not data" signs came to a March 24 supervisors' meeting, Virginia Business reported. The Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance, formed in 2025, said Google's announcement read "like it was written by AI with the prompt to be positive and vague, yet appear genuine." Hundreds came to Google's June open house at Lord Botetourt High School, WVTF reported. "They're concerned about what the noise level's going to be. They're concerned about the water," said Shirley Jarusek of Troutville. Opponent Jessi Bearman claimed Google would use 80 percent of Carvins Cove's output at full capacity. In July Google said the first building would be air-cooled. Its request for up to 8 million gallons a day still awaited the water authority board's approval, and the authority expects refined numbers. The Transparency Alliance's Kathryn Hatam said air cooling "generates more noise, air pollution, and requires more electricity."
Late in July the Board of Supervisors voted to create an independent commission of three to five members from outside the county to study the campus's effects on water, sound and more, and report within six months, WDBJ reported. Residents had wanted the planning commission to do it. "Because I don't trust you all, I don't trust your decision to select people on your own to form this committee to look into the water situation," resident Judy Wilhelm told the board. County Administrator Gary Larrowe, who faced calls for his removal, said: "This is not just a Botetourt County issue. This is not just a Roanoke Valley issue. This is not just a Virginia issue. This is a national issue."
Data center projects on record in Botetourt County
Grouped by the town each site sits in. The report above may name projects that have no record here yet.
Daleville1
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Botetourt County Data Center CampusDaleville | Approved | 300 MW |
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Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.