Wyoming Water Recycling Finally Safe To Restart After Meta's Data Center Contamination
The Cheyenne, Wyoming wastewater treatment facility was contaminated with bacteria during the construction of a Meta-owned AI data center by contractor Goat Systems LLC. The incident led to a temporary halt in the city's reuse water system and prompted the Board of Public Utilities to enforce new policies on water discharges from data centers. Cleanup efforts have concluded, and the water recycling system has resumed operations.
The city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, experienced contamination in its wastewater treatment system, leading to a temporary halt in its water recycling operations. The issue was traced back to Goat Systems LLC, a contractor responsible for building a new Meta-owned AI data center.
During the commissioning process in February 2026, Goat Systems LLC introduced water containing Cupriavidus gilardii bacteria into the city's sanitary sewer system during a fill-and-flush procedure for the data center's cooling loop. While the bacteria did not affect the drinking water supply, it contaminated two treatment facilities, prompting the Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities to suspend Meta's discharge privileges and temporarily halt the reuse water system.
Following months of cleanup, the water recycling facility resumed operations on June 29. As a result of the incident, the Board of Public Utilities enforced a new policy prohibiting water discharges from data centers that rely on fill-and-flush systems and closed-loop cooling, requiring companies to build their own collection systems instead.