Neighbors push to shut down Delaware County bitcoin mining facility
HOPKINTON, Iowa (KCRG) - Neighbors near a bitcoin mining facility in rural Delaware County say noise from the operation has disrupted their lives, as the Delaware County Board of Supervisors considers whether to let the site continue operating.
Compass Mining runs the bitcoin mining facility just west of Hopkinton. The site was built on land zoned for agricultural use and would need to be rezoned for light industrial use to keep operating.
Neighbors describe noise from the facility
Randy Fitzgerald moved back to Iowa in 2016 after living in several cities around the country.
“For many years had a wonderful, peaceful life. The sound of the country were everything we could have imagined for,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald said that changed after the mining facility began operating.
“Ourselves and our neighbors woke up to what really sounded like a jet engine coming from the south of our property,” Fitzgerald said.
The fans that cool computers at the facility do not run at full bore constantly, now running loudly in the evenings and early mor
“I think this is an inappropriate used of the land so I think the first thing is it should have them shutdown,” Fitzgerald said.
County board weighs rezoning request
Delaware County supervisors have told Compass Mining it needs to rezone the land from agricultural to light industrial to keep operating. The Delaware County Zoning Commission recommended denying that request.
“When we discovered this was going to be an ongoing noise for weeks or months. It’s really disheartening that this is where we’re living and we have to live with this,” said Amy Krapfl, another neighbor living by the facility.
Property owners defend the lease
Dan and Dale Hosch own the farmland and rent it to Compass Mining. They said they never intended to hide anything from the public. They disagreed with neighbors’ concerns about water and electricity use and said no hazardous material is allowed under their five-year lease. They said turning away bitcoin mining would cost the county in the long run.
“And if we put a stop to this in Delaware County, it’s going to hurt us in comparison to the counties that do approve it around us,” Dan Hosch said.
Next steps
The Delaware County Board of Supervisors did not take action Monday. The board will hold a hearing within the next 30 days and a vote after that. The facility is allowed to continue operating as it goes through the rezoning process.
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