by Shannon Heckt
From the driveway of his Louisa home and business, Austin Newsome sees dozens of dump trucks barrel down Route 33 most days, hauling dirt and other debris. The road is stained rusty red from the soil displaced by the construction of Amazon’s latest data center campus in the county.
One day, Newsom said, his neighbor across the street up and left.
“I was like, oh no, he’s picked up and gone. And then I looked up who owned the property, and it was Amazon,” Newsom said in the garage of Central VA Marine, the business he co-owns and runs near his home.
Newsom’s home rests on the border of the Northeast Creek technology overlay district, a portion of the county zoned to attract specific businesses, including data centers.
It is the site of Amazon’s second data center campus in the county, with plans for this project detailing ten buildings, three substations, stormwater structures, logistic and administrative buildings and associated infrastructures. Construction is slated to be completed in 2031.
When the project started in March 2025, Newsom reported to county officials several disturbances — loud noises, trucks kicking up big clouds of dust — and his tap water turned a muddy brown color.
The water discoloration persisted off and on for months as the data center buildout continued.
“(My well has) made it through four major droughts we’ve had since the ’50s and never had an issue with it,” Newsom said. “I’ve lived here for 11-12 years. Never had an issue with it ever until they started doing things over there.”
Newsom and his spouse also experienced loud sounds emitting from the construction site in the late hours of the night. They said light pollution from the site floods their children’s bedroom.
One of his chief concerns is that dust from the project is covering the roadway. Amazon responded by deploying street sweepers and spraying water to keep the dust down. But Newsom said it isn’t enough.
“They got this truck out there that just pretty much just dumps water on the road. The roads are covered with mud, Newsom said. “Now all the mud just washes into my driveway.”
In August 2025, Newsom filed a lawsuit against the company seeking relief from the negative impacts the construction levied on his home and boat detailing and repair business.
In the private nuisance suit, Newsom alleged that vibrations from the construction are cracking the foundation of his house. The project is devaluing his home, disrupting natural drainage and impacting his mental health, Newsom said in the filing.
Newsom operates his business in a workshop near his home. He said in his filing that his customers, who are often towing boats, have had many “near accidents” with the trucks.
The closest school is just one mile away from the construction site. A Louisa Public Schools representative said the trucks have not yet posed any issues.
Amazon is already constructing another data center in the county near the Lake Anna Power Station within the county and was planning for a third project but withdrew it in July 2025 due to public backlash.
Many problems, few solutions
Newsom has aired his complaints to county leaders and Amazon many times. He said he was met with promises that the issues would be looked into, but they remain unresolved
Board of Supervisors Chair Duane Adams said he had been in contact with Newsom and his wife multiple times about their concerns and worked to help get some of them addressed.
“I’ve treated Mr. and Mrs. Newsom as I do with all my constituents. I try to be very responsive and help address issues that may be impacting them and help mitigate the circumstances,” Adams said.
When work began to build the data center, it pushed Newsom to start building his family a new home.
He has put his current home up for sale, but he said there haven’t been any bites because when potential buyers find out what’s under construction across the street, they lose interest.
Transmission line presents another obstacle
Another challenge is that the preliminary route options for the high-voltage Valley Link transmission line could run through Newsom’s property. The line will feed power to energy-intensive data centers in Northern Virginia, and may force Newsom to tear down the workshop that houses his business.
“So I’m getting out of here, but I’m just going to be stuck with this property,” Newsom said. “(I’m) going to be stuck with two mortgages.”
The final preferred route has not been selected for the 115-mile 765 kilovolt transmission line that will stretch from Lynchburg to Culpeper County.
What’s ahead
Newsom’s lawsuit continues playing out in court, with a preliminary hearing set in the case for Aug. 19, according to U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia (Charlottesville) records.
Amazon tried to persuade the court to throw out the nuisance claim lawsuit, arguing in its court filing that “the brown water, noise, diminished air quality, and light pollution, are each insubstantial and thus require dismissal of the entire nuisance claim.”
U.S. District Judge Jasmine H. Yoon allowed the nuisance claim to move forward, but dismissed Newsom’s claim of injunctive relief, stating it could still be done as part of the nuisance claim but not as a separate claim.
The Louisa man’s story has captured the attention of prominent environmental advocate and paralegal Erin Brockovich, who led a successful lawsuit against a major oil and gas company for groundwater contamination in 1993.
Brockovich’s latest campaign raises awareness about the environmental impacts of data centers nationwide. Brockovich has posted multiple videos on her social media with Newsom, describing his experiences and walking through his lawsuit.
Newsom said he plans to keep pushing back against the disturbances created by the forthcoming data center campus.
“You know, one person can make a difference,” Newsom said. “So if one person like myself can get as far as I have and make the differences that I have with everything, everybody else can, too.”
(This story originally appeared in Virginia Mercury and is being republished here with permission.)
