They suffer from living next to a cryptocurrency mine.
Many people moved to Poor House Mountain to enjoy the quiet life, but everything was turned upside down when a cryptocurrency mining pool settled here.
At midnight it reverberated like a jet engine through the rolling hills of the workhouse in North Carolina, USA. However, there are no airports and the nearest commercial airport is also 130 kilometers away. The noise comes from the house at the foot of the mountain. The computer systems here run 24/7 and use large industrial fans for cooling.
A family lives near a cryptocurrency mine in North Carolina. See: The Washington Post
Mike said: “When it’s really bad, it’s like you’re sitting on the runway next to a plane about to take off. But the plane doesn’t take off. The noise is annoying and constant,” said Lugiewicz, who lives 100 meters from the mine.
After China cracked down on cryptocurrency mining last year, dozens of crypto companies and hundreds of independent miners have relocated to remote US locations to tap into the abundant energy resources. Cheap. However, many mines located near residential areas have received complaints and complaints about the noise generated by the cooling systems.
Cherokee County, North Carolina, where Premblock is located, has had noise control documents since 1999, but residents say they are rarely enforced and do not report noise levels. The area’s climate, topography, and naturally tranquil nature make mining noise even more of a problem for people like Lugiwich.
“As soon as they fired first grade, we knew we were done,” he said.
The sensor used in Lugiwicz’s house was set to measure noise every 5 minutes for three weeks. The results show that 98% of the time the noise level is more than 55 decibels, which is equivalent to the sound of a conversation in a private home. The sensor detected a sound level of more than 60 decibels, which corresponds to a conversation in a crowded environment more than 30% of the time.
Kurt Fristrup, a US National Park Service (NPS) ranger, compared the noise near Lugiwich’s home to a busy freeway with no regular traffic stops. “Imagine 45 cars driving close together at 55 kilometers per hour on a three-lane highway without stopping. speed,” he said.
Lugiewicz, who often works from home, no longer uses the expensive balcony he completed before the mine opened. Instead of sitting in a cold place and listening to the birds, he had to work in his room and soundproof the whole house. “My husband and I are starting to build a new house 2.5 kilometers away so that the noise in the mine is almost gone.”
PrimeBlock operates 12 facilities in North America with a focus on North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. Some communities have expressed concern about the emergence of cryptocurrency mining pools. On one occasion, a group of citizens protested a project to build a mine in Pitt County, North Carolina, forcing the government to stop the plan. Limestone, Tennessee, has reached an agreement with a cryptocurrency mining company to relocate its operations to a local industrial area.
Patricia Callahan outside her home in Cherokee County, North Carolina in July. Photo: The Washington Post
Unlike the noisy cities, the poorhouse is a place where many people enjoy a quiet life. Old hand Dennis Fuchs bought a house here in 2016. “I moved here because I wanted peace,” he said.
Now there is always a constant noise, especially at night when other noises are gone. The low temperature in the mountains causes trouble and increased noise.
“It completely changed our lives,” says Fuchs. “You can’t move and move because nobody wants to buy a house like that. A lot of people move to a quiet place and see where they’re going to live for the rest of their lives, and then suddenly there’s cryptocurrency. My neighbour .”
The same happened to Patricia Callahan. In 2019 she bought an apartment 400 meters from the foot of Poorhouse Hill. “Mining ruined my life,” Callahan said.
In October 2021, she filed a noise complaint with the Cherokee County Police Department, but no one has responded to her since. Callahan has to wear earplugs to sleep and monitor noise levels through a phone app. Monitors audio and posts information at County Executive Council meetings and local social media groups.
“I don’t know what to do. Sometimes I want to pack my things in the closet, buy a car and hit the road. I don’t want to, but there’s no good solution,” Callahan said.
Chandler Song, founder and owner of PrimeBlock, said he has received no noise complaints from Cherokee County officials. “I visited there many times during the construction work. We stood 200 meters in front of the house to check the noise level. The noise is similar to that of the air conditioner working in the backyard,” Song said. But PrimeBlock’s boss added that they are building soundproof walls and that most mines will be using a new silent cooling system in the next few months.
Cherokee County officials did not comment on the report.
diving ann (Consequences The Washington Post)