MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) - A 900-plus acre solar farm is now set to provide Montgomery's new Meta data center with renewable energy for the next few decades after being approved by Montgomery's Board of Adjustment.

It's planned to be near the newly-announced Meta facility, in between I-65 and Hwy 331 near the community of Snowdoun, and some residents are not happy.

"We've spent about nine and a half, 10 months trying to work with the city in setting up safety measures," explained Karin Bolinger, one of the project's most vocal opponents. "They haven't listened to us, so unfortunately, we've had to file a lawsuit to try to get safety measures put in to not just protect this community, but everything going forward."

A main concern for residents is the distance from the project to nearby property lines, which was heightened after a tornado in late December caused damage to nearby property.

Residents believe a storm like the recent one could cause toxic material to seep into the ground.

"If we have a tornado come through here and this stuff is leeching into our soil, and it's only 75 feet off the property line and the water's right there that you're drinking," Bolinger told the board of adjustment at their mid-January meeting. "That's why we want setbacks that are reasonable and put forth by other states and municipalities that have a minimum of 500 (feet) from people's houses and their water supply."

While residents are concerned about the environmental impact, the Alabama Rivers Alliance thinks folks don't need to be worried.

"We're not normally standing on the side of the corporation, we're normally on the side of the community," the Alabama Rivers Alliance Executive Director, Cindy Lowry told the board. "I really believe they are doing right by the waterways and as an environmental organization, solar has much lower water impact than other sources of energy that we currently produce in Alabama."