Cheyenne Won’t Take Data Center Wastewater After Meta Company Contaminated System
Cheyenne's Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) has suspended acceptance of industrial wastewater from data center operations indefinitely after a Meta subsidiary, Goat Systems LLC, contaminated the city's reclaimed wastewater system with a rare bacterium. The contamination, linked to Meta's $800 million data center, led to months of cleanup and prompted the city to revoke Goat Systems' discharge privileges and re-evaluate future data center wastewater regulations.
Cheyenne's Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) announced a suspension of industrial wastewater acceptance from data center systems until further notice, following a contamination incident involving Goat Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Meta Platforms. Goat Systems LLC, responsible for the construction of Meta's 800,000-square-foot data center campus (Project Cosmo) in south Cheyenne, was found in "significant noncompliance" with city regulations after discharging wastewater contaminated with Cupriavidus gilardii bacteria. This bacterium interfered with the city's water reclamation facilities and municipal reuse water system, prompting months of investigation and cleanup.
The contamination, initially discovered in February, was traced to wastewater from the data center's fill-and-flush operations used for cleaning and testing cooling systems. Upon notification, Goat Systems immediately ceased discharge, and BOPU revoked its industrial discharge privileges effective March 24. Cheyenne City Councilman Pete Laybourn and Mayor Patrick Collins expressed disappointment, with Laybourn noting concerns about existing arrangements with data center operators.
The incident has led to broader changes, with BOPU evaluating how to prevent future contamination and protect the integrity of Cheyenne's wastewater treatment system. While the announcement resolves the mystery of the contamination source, questions remain regarding future regulation of data center wastewater, the impact on other facilities under construction, and potential long-term environmental or public health effects.