Watershed Alliance to Host Public Meeting on AI Data-Center Impacts in Lewisburg

The Buffalo Creek Watershed Alliance will bring residents face-to-face with one of Union County's newest environmental flashpoints on Thursday, April 2: the potential consequences of proposed AI data-center development on the land, soil, and water supply of a watershed that serves nearly 15,000 people across nine townships and two boroughs.

Speakers Sharon Whitmoyer Waltman and William Waltman are scheduled to address environmental concerns tied to zoning changes and development at the alliance's annual public meeting, which runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the community room of the East Buffalo Township Building, 589 Fairground Road, Lewisburg. Refreshments will be available starting at 4 p.m., with formal presentations beginning at 4:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Organizers say the session will focus on potential impacts to land, soil, and water in the region. No specific data-center developer, project name, or parcel has been publicly identified in connection with the meeting, and the alliance has not released details about which zoning applications or permits may be under review.

The Buffalo Creek watershed stretches 134 square miles through communities including Lewisburg, Mifflinburg, Pleasant Grove, Vicksburg, Cowan, and Kelly Point. PA Routes 45 and 192 bisect its middle, connecting Lewisburg to the greater State College region, while US Route 15 passes through a small portion near the creek's mouth.

The alliance has a track record of pushing watershed protections through institutional channels. In 2003, it successfully advocated for the Union County Conservation District to hire a dedicated watershed specialist; the district brought on Shanon Burkland Stamm, who has since been involved in waterside tree plantings and streambank stabilization efforts across the county and state. In 2015, Bucknell University researcher Matthew McTammany found a tributary section "excessively impaired by local agricultural practices," a finding that prompted BCWA managers to bring affected Old Order Amish farmers to demonstration restoration sites along Turtle Creek.

The April 2 meeting falls just one week before the alliance marks a broader milestone: its 20th anniversary celebration, scheduled for Saturday, April 9, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Rusty Rail Brewing Company in Mifflinburg. The BCWA portion of that program is expected to run from noon to roughly 1:30 p.m. and will feature Ben Hayes of Bucknell University, whom organizers describe as an expert in stream restoration science and public engagement.