Meta’s $800 million data center linked to rare bacterium in city’s water system #Meta #AI
Meta's data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, has been linked to the contamination of the city's wastewater treatment facility with a rare bacterium, Cupriavidus gilardii. This discovery led to city officials terminating Meta's privileges to dump construction wastewater and updating policies for data centers using closed-loop cooling systems. The bacterium did not enter Cheyenne's drinking water supply.
Meta's data center in Wyoming is facing scrutiny for allegedly contaminating Cheyenne's water system with a rare bacterium. In February, the Board of Public Utilities in Cheyenne discovered Cupriavidus gilardii during routine testing at the city's wastewater treatment facility, though it did not affect the drinking water supply.
Officials identified Goat System LLC, a Meta contractor responsible for the 715,000 square-foot data center campus under construction, as the source of the bacterium. In response, the city temporarily suspended its reclaimed water irrigation system and terminated Meta's privileges to dump construction wastewater into the city's system. Additionally, Cheyenne updated a policy to prohibit data centers using closed-loop cooling systems from discharging wastewater.
A Meta spokesperson stated the company's commitment to being a good neighbor and is working to support the energy grid and water cleanup efforts. This incident, linked to Meta's $800 million data center buildout, is contributing to growing public skepticism about the AI infrastructure boom, with a recent Gallup poll indicating 70% of Americans oppose data center construction in their local areas.