August 21, 2025 | Mark Luis Foster

Seems like data centers are becoming the Goliath that’s up against the David, with David often being HOA(s), the ones that are typically in close proximity of these behemoths.

Now there’s news from Oklahoma that an HOA has filed suit against a data center that has essentially sucked the life out of its pond. The Google Data Center that was built nearby caused changes to the run off from stormwater, and it ruined the surroundings. In fact, it’s described as “dead.”

From Channel 4 in OKC:

“It’s been just barren this summer. Nobody wants to be out here,” said Doris Al-Harake, HOA President and homeowner. “When the spring rains came, and it flooded all down into our water areas, the front entrance pond took the brunt of it.” The HOA says the prep work for the new building has removed essential greenery that prevented runoff from reaching their neighborhood pond for nearly 50 years.

The Department of Environmental Quality issued a fine, but the HOA has filed its own lawsuit.

“We want remediation. We want damages, we want loss of usage,” said [Doris] Al-Harake, [HOA president and homeowner]. “The endgame is to get our association back to the norm, to what our amenities were before.”Al-Harake says the pond may never be the same, but will fight to restore it for homeowners and wildlife to enjoy the pond like they used to.

The story from Channel 4 is HERE.

On a related note, I recently interviewed Joe Barten, who is owner of Stormwater Maintenance Professionals in Minnesota, and he had a lot to say about stormwater and the damage it can cause if the environment in HOAs is not configured correctly to handle it. You can watch the interview below and I highly recommend it if you’re struggling with runoff and erosion issues.