Google filed a proposal to pave over protected wetlands in California for a new data center campus.

Google faces a challenging engineering problem at its enormous Fort Wayne data center: the land it wants to build on includes protected wetlands. According to permitting documents for "Project Zodiac," Google's developer Hatchworks states that "meeting the project purpose and completely avoiding water resources was not feasible." The buildings are very large, and the wetlands are located precisely where parts of the data center would sit.

If state authorities approve the data center campus, it would permanently alter a significant portion of Indiana's floodplains. These wetlands serve critical functions beyond supporting diverse plant and animal life—they act as natural basins for rainwater, protecting nearby communities from flooding and soil erosion.

Much of the incoming data center would occupy a parcel of pre-paved farmland, likely geoengineered from its original wetland state years ago. Rather than confine construction to these already-developed areas, Google's Hatchworks prefers to maintain its original design plans. In its filing with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the company asserts it is simply impossible to avoid impacting the marshland.

Indiana regulators have repeatedly permitted the project's environmental impacts. The latest Phase III water-quality certificate was issued in June following a public hearing, despite objections from residents and environmental groups. The approved plan includes mitigation measures for affected wetlands.

The official terminology describes this approach as "avoidance and minimization." In practice, there is considerably more minimization than avoidance.