Meta Contractor's Wastewater Discharge Contaminates Cheyenne Water, Leads to New City Policy
A Meta contractor's wastewater discharge contaminated Cheyenne's reclaimed water system with a rare bacterium, causing a months-long shutdown. The incident led to the City of Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities permanently banning data center fill-and-flush and closed-loop cooling wastewater from the municipal sewer. Meta and its general contractor, Fortis, are working with the city to resolve the issue.
Meta Platforms is facing scrutiny over its "good neighbor" image in Cheyenne, Wyoming, after a contractor's wastewater discharge was linked to a rare, metal-resistant bacterium. The incident, which occurred during the construction of Meta's nearly $800 million data center campus, forced the city to suspend its reclaimed water program for months and permanently tighten industrial discharge rules for data centers.
In February, routine monitoring by the City of Cheyenne's Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) detected Cupriavidus gilardii in the wastewater system. The BOPU traced the discharge to Goat Systems LLC, a contractor working on Meta's campus. On March 24, Goat Systems' industrial discharge privileges were revoked, and subsequently, the city barred wastewater from data center fill-and-flush and closed-loop cooling operations from entering the municipal sewer system. Frank Strong, director of the Board of Public Utilities, confirmed the bacterium interfered with the water reclamation process, necessitating the precautionary suspension and cleaning of the reclaimed water system.
Meta stated that its general contractor, Fortis, immediately ceased industrial wastewater discharge upon notification and began hauling it offsite. A Meta spokesperson affirmed the company's commitment to being a "good neighbor" and protecting local water resources, adding that independent testing commissioned by Fortis found no trace of the bacterium. Cheyenne city officials, including Councilman Pete Laybourn and Mayor Patrick Collins, expressed disappointment but praised utility staff for restoring the water program. The new policy mandates that future data center projects must collect, store, and dispose of such wastewater separately.