Google's Chesterfield Data Center Faces Environmental Violation Fines

Google's data center project in Chesterfield County has been cited for environmental violations. According to a letter from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the company has racked up several infractions since December 2025. The DEQ received seven reports of unauthorized filling of surface waters outside permitted impact areas and conducted five inspections between December 2025 and August 2026.

Many of the violations involved the discharge of sediment into local waterways. During a March 4, 2026 inspection, DEQ staff observed filling of state waters from the discharge of sediment pollutant. In total, approximately 1,356 linear feet of stream channel was affected by sediment accumulation.

Courtney Bernhardt, director of research at the Environmental Integrity Project, warns that the addition of loose soil to waterways can have significant impacts on the ecosystem. 'If you smother the bottom of the stream, you're going to kill all the little critters that live in that stream bed, and that is the base of the food web,' she said.

The Project Peanut campus, being built off Old Bermuda Hundred Road, covers 300 acres and has affected almost an acre of wetlands. The company faces penalties of up to $32,500 per violation per day, totaling as much as $7 million per month in total.