Twiggs neighbors fear $5B proposed data center will drain wells, endanger wilderness

TWIGGS COUNTY, Ga. — The gentle sound of water flowing over rocks in Buddy Faulk's backyard has been the soundtrack of his family's life for more than two centuries. But that peaceful waterfall, and the groundwater that feeds it, could soon be threatened by a neighbor unlike any this rural Twiggs County community has ever seen.

A proposed $5 billion data center on nearly 300 acres, located down the road from Faulk's property, has sparked fierce opposition from environmental advocates and longtime residents who fear the massive facility will drain their wells and destroy critical wildlife habitat.

"My third great grandfather came here in 1806," Faulk said, standing near the historic family homestead. "This is the birthplace of all the Faulks of Georgia."

The Weyerhaeuser NR Company p