Most data centers in the news are huge. This one is not.
A single-story 50 MW facility proposed on about 9 acres — with voluntary commitments to the county’s schools, first responders, and non-profits.
The conditional use permit (CUP) would cover the proposed 50 MW facility only. Any expansion would require a new and separate public approval process. No expansion is contemplated at this time.
Leola Data Center’s footprint is small compared to most data centers — it would take up about 9 acres of land and use about as much water as a four-person household.
The low water use is a design choice: dry coolers and a sealed loop instead of a cooling tower, trading a little more electricity for near-zero water. On the hottest days — above 95°F, fewer than 15 a year — cooling can add up to 6,800 gallons a day.
Supplemental high-temperature cooling, as stated in the CUP application: “An additional estimated 6,800 gallons of water per day will be needed when temperatures exceed 95°F. Supplemental cooling is expected less than 15 days per year based on 1991–2020, 90°F weather data from Aberdeen, which is the closest weather station to the Data Center. The National Weather Service does not provide 95°F information.”
$3.5 million at start-up, plus $500,000 every year for the life of the facility
Voluntary contributions to McPherson County.
| Commitment | One-time, at start of operations | Every year |
|---|---|---|
| EMS & first responders — in coordination with McPherson County emergency management | $2,000,000 | $200,000 |
| Public schools — works out to ≈ $2,500/student at start-up · ≈ $510/yr — based on ~393 students across the Leola & Eureka public school districts | $1,000,000 | $200,000 |
| Local non-profits — awarded by a foundation board to be appointed by the County Commission | $500,000 | $100,000 |
| Total | $3,500,000 | $500,000/yr |
If the facility operates for
10 years
$8.5 million
would go to McPherson County in voluntary contributions
$3.5M at start-up + $500,000 × 10 years
Drag the slider to see how the voluntary contributions add up over the life of the facility.
Two commitments beyond the dollars:
A paid, year-long internship at the data center for County high-school seniors — working under the facility’s technicians on operations support, infrastructure documentation, and supervised data-center computing projects, with structured training. Part-time through senior year, full-time the summer after graduation.
Funded programs open to County residents and local schools.
Separately, the facility is estimated to pay about $159,000 per year in property taxes on roughly $11.2 million of buildings and improvements, along with state sales and contractor’s excise taxes from construction and ongoing equipment purchases.
Per the preliminary building plans filed with the CUP application: a single-story structure of 400 by 120 feet — about 48,000 square feet, within the County’s 35-foot height limit — with rows of large outdoor cooling fans (dry coolers) along its sides, a small office building, backup generators behind a sound wall, and a water tank. All of it would sit on about 9 acres behind a six-foot sight-obscuring fence and planted buffer yards (at least 150 feet deep in front).
The CUP application is for this facility and nothing more: 50 MW on about 9 acres. Under the County’s ordinance, any expansion would require a new application, new studies, and another public hearing before the County.
The computers are cooled by a sealed, closed-loop fluid — filled once (about 40,000 gallons, mostly water) and recirculated, replaced about every three years. Heat goes to the outdoor air through dry coolers; there is no cooling tower. Because the coolers run dry up to about 95 °F, the facility uses near-zero water for cooling almost all of the year. Day-to-day use is mostly staff and office building needs, which is about 400 gallons a day; roughly one four-person household’s worth. Only above 95 °F do the coolers briefly mist water onto an evaporative pad — expected fewer than 15 days a year.
MDU would provide electric service to the facility, with built-in protections for existing customers. Leola Data Center would fund its own utility infrastructure (substation) and would buy power from the energy market (MISO) — not rely on MDU power plants. Further, MDU service to the data center would be interruptible. Its power could be curtailed in the event of an emergency.
The County sets limits: 55 dBA daytime / 45 dBA nighttime (10 p.m.–7 a.m.), measured at any occupied residence, church, or government building. An acoustic study filed with the CUP application shows the facility would comply with both limits as modeled, using sound-reducing enclosures on the cooling equipment. Backup generators sit behind a solid sound wall at least four feet above the top of each generator, as the ordinance requires.
For scale: 45 dBA is quieter than a typical home refrigerator.
A sealed mix of water and propylene glycol — a low-toxicity compound the U.S. FDA treats as safe in food, deliberately chosen over acutely-toxic ethylene glycol. The CUP application commits to the County’s reference blend — 30% propylene glycol / 70% water.
An EMF study filed with the CUP application compares the facility’s fields to World Health Organization reference levels and everyday household sources. Modeled at full load, the field 50 feet from the substation fence is about 1.5 milligauss — under one-tenth of one percent of the international public-exposure limit, and in the range of common household appliances. Leola Data Center has committed to measure actual field levels within 90 days after the facility is energized and share the results with the County.
Leola Data Center will build an Emergency Response Plan together with the County’s first responders — and fund the training and equipment they need, filing the plan at least 60 days before construction.
At the end of operations, Leola Data Center bears the full cost of decommissioning: removing all above- and below-ground components and restoring the land — topsoil, plants, elevation, and contour.
Leola Data Center brought this project to McPherson County before filing its initial CUP application in November 2024. Rather than act on it right away, the County chose to write rules for data centers before proceeding. It placed a temporary moratorium that December, held zoning-ordinance readings in January and April 2025, and adopted Ordinance 2025-1 (effective August 5, 2025) — which added data centers as a conditional use in the Agricultural District. Alongside that public process, Leola Data Center held community town halls in May 2025 and met with the County’s Emergency Management, fire, and sheriff’s offices. With the County’s rules in place, Leola Data Center refiled in July 2026 — the CUP application now before the County at this hearing.
Public hearing — McPherson County Zoning Board / Board of Adjustment.
Tuesday, August 11, 2026 · 9:00 AM · McPherson County Courthouse, Leola, SD
Questions? Bill Connors · bill@leoladatacenter.com