Meta data center contamination shuts down two city water plants for months

A Meta data center in Cheyenne was identified as the source of a rare bacterium, Cupriavidus gilardii, that contaminated the city’s water reclamation system, forcing two treatment plants offline for months. The contamination occurred during a fill and flush operation of Meta’s closed loop cooling system, when wastewater was discharged into the city’s sanitary sewer. Cheyenne has now suspended acceptance of industrial wastewater from all data center projects, citing risks linked to chemicals and biological contaminants that reclamation systems cannot safely process. The incident raises broader concerns about how rapidly expanding data centers strain local water and energy infrastructure, especially in drought affected regions. Both plants have since been cleaned and reopened, but city officials called the discovery “a very, very unpleasant surprise.”

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