Residents in unincorporated Hood County will vote in November on forming the city of Mitchell Bend, a two-square-mile municipality explicitly created to regulate noise from a nearby cryptocurrency facility that has transformed their quiet rural lives into what one county commissioner calls “sleeping with a leafblower under your pillow”.
The Sound of Digital Gold Mining
The Texas Tribune reports that Danny Lakey and his wife purchased their log home in 2021 to experience rural peace, as their property neighbors included grazing animals rather than human residents. The peaceful existence of the residents ended in 2023 when MARA Holdings began operating its $5 billion Bitcoin facility, located half a mile away from their property.
The facility operates 24/7, housing 60,000 computers that require thousands of fans to keep them cool. The non-stop machine sounds create a persistent noise that people describe as “a plane that never lands,” “a lawnmower that never stops,” or “a jet engine that stays permanently in the area,” according to various news reports. The facility operates 24/7, utilizing a massive computer bank system that uses shipping containers to mine Bitcoin through power-hungry operations, which generate heat that requires continuous cooling.
Health Impacts Mount as Quiet Disappears
The continuous noise pollution forces people to remain indoors, creating multiple serious health problems that impact all members of the community. The facility operations have forced Geraldine Lathers from the mobile home area to take Vitamin D supplements because she remains indoors and now suffers from vertigo, severe headaches, and high blood pressure.
“That noise is so loud, oh my God it makes you sick … it goes through your body.”
— Geraldine Lathers, 74-year-old resident, to The Texas Tribune
Donna Adair, at 65 years old, reports that she cannot read in peace on her porch bench, fearing that her property value will decrease due to the persistent noise. The noise pollution has caused residents to develop sleep problems, hearing damage, tinnitus, migraines, and cardiovascular diseases, which have resulted in continuous legal battles against MARA for health-related compensation.
Corporate Response Falls Short of Expectations
MARA has taken steps to reduce noise pollution through the construction of a 2,000-foot-long soundproofing wall that reaches 24 feet in height, and by installing an immersion cooling system, which replaced 67 percent of its cooling fans, according to company reports. The noise reduction efforts made by MARA have not produced significant results, according to local residents who measured sound levels at 84 decibels, which approaches the Texas state maximum of 85 decibels.
A third-party county-funded study conducted in October 2024 measured sound levels at 60 decibels near the facility but recorded levels of 35-53 decibels in residential areas up to one mile away, acknowledging possible variations in mine operational levels during testing. The company defends its operations through a statement that shows it has invested more than $1.2 billion in Texas sites and generated millions of dollars in local tax revenue, which supports schools and community nonprofits.