Officials in Cheyenne, Wyoming, are claiming that construction-related wastewater from Meta’s new artificial intelligence data centre campus contaminated the city’s wastewater treatment and recycled water systems with a rare bacterium, forcing the city to suspend certain industrial discharges, drain and disinfect the municipal reuse network, and launch months of remediation efforts.
On July 2, the City of Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) issued a Significant Noncompliance violation notice to Goat Systems LLC, a subsidiary used by Meta to manage and develop its more than $800-million, 715,000-square-foot AI data centre campus in Cheyenne. The notice alleges pass-through and interference violations related to the contamination. The utility permanently revoked the company’s industrial discharge privileges for fill-and-flush operations and announced it is suspending acceptance of industrial discharges associated with data centre fill-and-flush and closed-loop cooling system operations until further notice.
Goat Systems LLC is appealing its violation notice, arguing that the legal basis for the enforcement action did not provide evidence that the bacterium originated from the Meta data centre construction site. The company is also seeking a refund of a $10,000 pollution fine.
“Meta is committed to being a good neighbor in Cheyenne, including through the protection of local water resources, and will continue encouraging collaboration between Fortis and the board until this situation is resolved,” a spokesperson for Facebook’s parent company told Fortune magazine.
Subscribe to our Newsletter!
The latest environmental engineering news direct to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.
BOPU said in a July 20 notice that wastewater discharged during fill-and-flush operations at the Meta Cheyenne Data centre CHY1-2 construction site resulted in the release of Cupriavidus gilardii into the city’s wastewater treatment processes. The contamination caused pass-through and interference violations at the Crow Creek and Dry Creek wastewater treatment plants, as well as the city’s recycled water system.
According to BOPU, staff first met with representatives from the Meta construction project in the fall of 2025 to review the startup fill-and-flush process for the facility’s closed-loop cooling system. During the meeting, industrial pretreatment staff outlined discharge requirements, sampling protocols and temporary authorization conditions, while requesting details on chemicals and additives that would be used during the commissioning process.
The first indication of a problem emerged in January 2026, when laboratory staff observed an unidentified white-colony bacterium while conducting routine fecal coliform testing on effluent samples from the Dry Creek and Crow Creek wastewater treatment plants.
Testing by the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory in February identified the organism as Cupriavidus gilardii, a naturally occurring bacterium commonly found in soil and groundwater.
In March, BOPU began investigating potential industrial sources of the contamination, initially focusing on newer industrial dischargers. Officials said the Meta data centre construction site became a priority because it was the newest industrial user connected to the wastewater system.
Sampling collected March 18 confirmed the bacterium was present at the discharge outfall serving the Meta Cheyenne Data Centre CHY1-2 project, according to the utility.
“Through extensive field investigations and targeted sampling, BOPU staff ultimately traced the source to an industrial user within the system,” BOPU announced in a statement. “The industrial user’s discharge privileges were immediately and permanently terminated.”
City officials said the contamination had already become established in the biological treatment processes at both wastewater reclamation facilities and spread into the recycled water distribution system before the source was identified.
As a precaution, the city took its reuse water system offline shortly after seasonal startup operations began. Over the following two months, crews drained and disinfected the entire reuse water network and Prairie View Pond to eliminate the bacterium. Irrigation systems supplied by reclaimed water were temporarily switched to potable water to prevent further distribution.
The utility said only minimal residual traces of the bacterium remain in its treatment facilities following the remediation work. Recycled water irrigation service resumed on June 29 after consultation with the Laramie County Public Health Department, with continued monitoring and sampling planned.
Although Cupriavidus gilardii is not a regulated contaminant, BOPU notified the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality immediately after confirming its presence.
The utility said the bacterium is known for its high resistance to metals and has been associated with some industrial metal-reduction processes and advanced manufacturing systems. While documented human infections are extremely rare, published research indicates it may pose health risks to immunocompromised individuals and older adults through direct exposure.
The utility also reminded all residential, commercial and industrial customers that hazardous substances are prohibited from entering the sanitary sewer system. Officials noted wastewater facilities have dealt with a range of problematic discharges over the past two decades, including gasoline, petroleum products, excessive grease and concrete, with one previous incident triggering alarms for potentially explosive materials.
