Understanding & Preventing Data Center Noise Pollution, Part 2: Policy, Prevention, & Community Protection
As data centers rapidly expand across both rural and urban communities, one issue continues to surface again and again: noise pollution.
From the constant hum of cooling systems to backup generators and industrial-scale mechanical equipment, communities living near data centers are raising concerns about how noise impacts their daily lives, sleep, health, and overall quality of life. Yet noise is often poorly understood, difficult to measure, and inadequately addressed in local policy and permitting processes.
Please read the ‘Helpful Preparation Before the Event’ section below!
Les Blomberg, Founder and Executive Director of the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse and member of the Scientific Advisory Council for Quiet Communities, will lead this webinar series, bringing decades of experience researching noise impacts and helping communities understand and address environmental noise challenges.
This two-part webinar series is designed to help communities better understand both the science of noise and the tools available to prevent and manage harmful impacts.
Part 1: The Science of Noise (June 24)
In the first session, we’ll focus on the fundamentals of sound and noise pollution, including:
How sound is generated and how it travels
How noise impacts rural and urban communities differently
How sound is measured
What different decibel readings actually mean and how they do (or don’t) reflect lived experience
The health impacts associated with chronic noise exposure
Part 2: Policy, Prevention, & Community Protection (June 25)
The second session will focus on practical tools communities can use to address noise concerns, including:
Noise ordinance language and policy examples
What protections communities should push for
Monitoring, enforcement, and compliance considerations
Challenges communities face when trying to regulate industrial noise from data centers
Whether you are responding to a proposed project, already living near a data center, or trying to strengthen local protections, this series will provide a stronger foundation for understanding and addressing one of the most common and often underestimated impacts of data center expansion.
Helpful Preparation Before the Event:
To make the most of these sessions, we encourage participants to do a few things in advance:
Before the Science of Noise webinar on Wednesday June 24:
Apple users: Download the free NIOSH Sound Level Meter App from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Les will demonstrate how to use this tool during the webinar and discuss how communities can begin documenting noise concerns.
Suggested Reading for the Policy, Prevention, & Community Protection on June 25 : If possible, print or review a few pages from the following documents before the webinar (note that the page numbers referenced below are of the PDF and not the page numbers in the documents sited):
- Information on Levels of Environmental Noise Requisite to Protect Public Health and Welfare with an Adequate Margin of Safety, USEPA (Note: beginning on page 124 of the PDF, in Appendix D, look at Table D-7. PDF pages 126-127: Figure D-7 and Figure D-8)
- Model Community Noise Control Ordinance, USEPA (Note: We will be discussing Figure 1 on page 19 of the PDF)
These materials will help support discussion during both sessions.
Speaker Bio:
Les Blomberg, MA, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, a national organization dedicated to researching, documenting, and reducing the impacts of noise pollution on health and communities. Through the Clearinghouse, Les has played a key role in preserving and making accessible important research and publications on noise and its societal impacts for researchers, advocates, and community leaders.
Over the years, he has conducted research on environmental noise and health impacts, written extensively for magazines, journals, and websites, and advised hundreds of communities, mayors, city council members, zoning boards, and law enforcement officials on understanding, implementing, and enforcing noise regulations. Les also serves on the Scientific Advisory Council for Quiet Communities, where he helps advance research and solutions to address environmental noise and promote healthier, quieter communities.