Residents near Granbury file lawsuit against Bitcoin mining company
GRANBURY, Texas - Residents just outside Granbury say their calm, quiet community has been interrupted by noise from a nearby Bitcoin mining facility. They started noticing a constant, loud hum last fall.
This is where 55-year-old Daniel Lakey and his wife plan to retire.
"If you look out here, we just watch the sun go down and just enjoy the outside," said Lakey.
Their eight-acre property is in rural Hood County, about 10 miles east of the city of Granbury. The cattle and open land are part of the charm. But a nearby, noisy neighbor has soured their tranquil dream.
"It's 10 p.m. and I'm sitting next to my truck. I'm actually touching my truck, and you're hearing all the Bitcoin noise. That's all you can hear," Lakey said.
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Lakey has more than a dozen recordings on his cell phone taken throughout the past year. Some are from across the street from the Bitcoin mine operated by Marathon Digital Holdings. Other recordings are from his house, about a quarter of a mile away.
"My truck is running and until you get down here in front of the engine you can't even hear the truck running over the Bitcoin noise," he said.
Lakey is one of several plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit against Marathon Digital last week. The impacted residents held a virtual news conference Wednesday with their legal team.
"Marathon's cooling system in particular is comprised of large industrial fans which are the source of the noise problem that is at the heart of this lawsuit," said Rebecca Ramirez, Associate Attorney with EarthJustice's Gulf Regional Office.
Neighbors blame the noise for a host of physical and psychological health problems. Some recordings of the noise are near 85 decibels.
"I've been disoriented, like motion sickness during the day randomly. We don't sleep at night," says Cheryl Shadden, another plaintiff in the case. "The sound here at night is so horrendous it broadcasts through my walls and windows."
Shadden's property backs up to the facility. Signs on her property show you exactly how she feels about Bitcoin mining.
Texas State law does not allow counties to regulate noise pollution, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) can't either.
A spokesperson for Marathon Digital says the company categorically rejects the plaintiff's allegations.
A statement to FOX 4 News says in part:
"The data center, which we acquired less than a year ago, is in a well-established industrial zone, and sound measurements around the facility are below legal limits."
Adding that, "There is no established link - medical or otherwise - between our operations and the broad elements that are being alleged. We are committed to being a good neighbor."
Marathon says it has, and will continue to take steps to reduce noise, including the ongoing construction of a giant sound wall. The wall is made of acoustic dampening material.
The company says it has also deactivated dozens of air-cooled containers, and by the end of the year, expects to convert 50 percent of the site to liquid immersion cooling, which is said to be quieter.
"They think it's okay for us to live next door, and it's just not," Lackey said. When asked what the solution is, he responded, "Turn it off!"
The plaintiffs are seeking a permanent injunction from the court. That means they want a judge to order the crypto mining operation to stop creating the noise and vibration conditions the plaintiffs claim are unreasonable and causing discomfort.
A hearing has not been scheduled.