Residents of Granbury, Texas, say they are being plagued by the noise from nearby MARA Holdings, a crypto mining facility. They have likened the sound emanating from the data center to being on a runway with jets taking off 24/7. A lawsuit filed by locals blames the constant racket for a host of aliments, from headaches to vertigo to hearing loss. They say the noise penetrates the walls of their homes, preventing them from falling asleep or waking them up at all hours. The data center houses between 60,000 and 80,000 computer rigs solely dedicated to Bitcoin mining, a complicated and time-consuming process that requires enormous amounts of electricity and expensive hardware. Texas law stipulates that noise levels above 85 decibels — the equivalent of a running lawnmower — is unreasonable. Consistent exposure to sounds above 85 decibels can result in hearing loss. MARA says independent sound tests show the noise levels at 38 different locations around the mine found that it ranged between 35 and 62 decibels, well below the legal limit. If the city had been formally incorporated, its roughly 600 residents would have had the power to create a stricter noise ordinance to rein in MARA's operations, but the measure failed. Now the residents of Granbury who sued MARA are trying to obtain more documents about the company's operations and intend to continue pursuing the matter in court.
