Meta’s AI data center contaminated the town’s water system with deadly bacteria
The bacteria can cause deaths in immunocompromised individuals.
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- The contractor overseeing Meta’s data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was accused of significant regulatory noncompliance.
- This resulted in the town’s wastewater system being contaminated with rare and deadly bacteria, Cupriavidus gilardii.
- There are no human infections linked to the C. gilardii contamination in Cheyenne.
- The town won’t accept industrial wastewater associated with data center systems until further notice.
A Meta-affiliated data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, contaminated the city’s wastewater system with a rare and deadly pathogen, resulting in months of cleaning up.
Cheyenne’s Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) announced in early July that it wouldn’t accept industrial wastewater associated with data center systems until further notice, according to Cowboy State Daily.
The decision came after a contractor for Meta Platforms, Goat Systems LLC, was identified as responsible for contaminating the city’s wastewater system with the bacterium Cupriavidus gilardii.
The bug was discovered in February and prompted months of cleanup and investigation. In addition, it interfered with operations at the city’s water reclamation facilities.
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BOPU accused Goat Systems LLC, the company overseeing the construction of Meta’s $800 million data center in south Cheyenne, of “significant noncompliance" with the city’s industrial pretreatment regulations.
Frank Strong, BOPU’s engineering and water resource division manager, told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that the agency doesn't usually test for C. gilardii, which was first spotted during routine testing for fecal contamination.
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Strong added that it was highly unusual to find the pathogen in any wastewater.
Human infections with the multidrug-resistant C. gilardii are extremely rare, but they can cause deaths in immunocompromised individuals, with a mortality rate of over 30%, according to a study published in the Infectious Disease Reports.
The bacteria weren’t detected in the Cheyenne public drinking water – only the wastewater system was affected, which could explain why there were no human infections.
Water-hungry data centers worry Americans
Over 7 in 10 (71%) Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers in their area, a recent Gallup survey found. The resistance is primarily driven by environmental concerns, with water consumption playing a central role.
One large data center is estimated to consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day, equivalent to the water use of a town of up to 50,000 people, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.
In addition, a recent analysis by the Guardian suggests that the majority of new data centers are planned to be built in locations that have been in drought conditions over the past year.
The concerns, however, aren’t limited to water use. Data centers have also been linked to soaring electricity prices for residents and to noise pollution, as their cooling systems and diesel generators emit sounds audible for hundreds of feet from their location.