The Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities has permanently revoked Meta's authorization to discharge wastewater from its data center construction after a rare bacterium was discovered in the city's reclaimed water system, according to officials. The bacterium, Cupriavidus gilardii, was first detected during routine wastewater sampling in late February but was announced July 8, officials said.
The contamination was traced to wastewater discharged by Goat Systems LLC, a contractor working on Meta's $800 million data center campus in Cheyenne, according to the BOPU. The bacterium was found in water used during a fill-and-flush process to prepare the data center's cooling system, officials said. Meta's general contractor, Fortis, stopped discharging industrial wastewater and began hauling it offsite after the board shared its findings, according to a Meta spokesman. Independent testing has found no trace of the substance to date, the spokesman said.
The 715,000-square-foot campus is set to go online next year. Officials stressed that the city's drinking water was not affected, but the reclaimed water system used to irrigate parks and public spaces was disrupted. The BOPU permanently revoked Meta's discharge authorization, and months of cleanup are required for the reclaimed water system, officials said. [1]
Background on Cupriavidus gilardii
Cupriavidus gilardii is a naturally occurring bacterium typically found in soil and water, according to officials. While generally harmless to healthy individuals, it can cause severe pneumonia, bloodstream and lung infections, and in rare cases death among people with weakened immune systems, officials said. A March 2026 study in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases identified 32 documented human infections worldwide, with 10 deaths, nearly all in patients with underlying medical conditions, the Daily Mail reported.
Sepsis, a life-threatening condition triggered by systemic infection, is responsible for one in five deaths worldwide, according to a 2017 global analysis cited in an article on Mercola.com. [2] The analysis found that sepsis killed 11 million out of 56 million people in 2017. The role of native microorganisms in detoxifying environmental pollutants is a subject of ongoing research, as noted by Amitava Rakshit in "Bioremediation Science." [3] While Cupriavidus species are not typically associated with wastewater contamination incidents, the presence of such bacteria in industrial discharge highlights the importance of monitoring, officials said.
Contamination Timeline and Response
The bacterium was first detected in Cheyenne's wastewater system in late February, but officials said it took months to trace the source to Meta's data center construction. The contamination was traced to a fill-and-flush process used to prepare the cooling system, according to the BOPU. Goat Systems LLC, the corporate entity Meta uses for construction under the name Project Cosmo, was responsible for the discharge, officials said.
Cheyenne City Councilman Pete Laybourn called the discovery "a very, very unpleasant surprise" and said it was "about the last thing we need," according to the Cowboy State Daily. Meta spokesman said Fortis immediately stopped discharging industrial wastewater upon notification and began hauling it offsite. Fortis also commissioned independent water testing with an environmental specialist, which found no trace of the bacterium, the spokesman said. The city permanently revoked Meta's authorization to discharge wastewater into Cheyenne's treatment system, officials said. [1]
Data Center Resource Demands
AI data centers face mounting scrutiny across the United States for their high consumption of water and electricity, according to reports. According to Data Center Map, there are nearly 4,500 data centers nationwide, with some facilities consuming as much as 300,000 gallons of water per day, roughly the same amount used by 1,000 households. In Central Texas alone, data centers consumed 463 million gallons of water in 2023-24, enough for thousands of homes, according to a report on Brighteon Broadcast News. [4]
The rapid expansion of data centers is diverting critical resources such as farmland, water, and electricity away from human communities, according to Mike Adams, founder of BrightVideos.com. [5] Industrial wastewater from various sources, including breweries, has been studied for microbial content and treatment, as noted by Kosseva and Webb Colin in "Food Industry Wastes Assessment and Recuperation of Commodities." [6] The Cheyenne data center's water usage during construction has drawn attention to the broader environmental impact of these facilities.
Conclusion
Meta has committed to being "a good neighbor in Cheyenne" and protecting local water resources, according to a company spokesman. The situation remains unresolved, with Fortis continuing to haul industrial wastewater offsite and conducting independent testing. City officials said months of cleanup were required for the reclaimed water system. No further contamination has been reported as of the announcement date, officials said.
The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in environmental settings remains a broader concern. Antibiotic resistance poses a major public health threat, driven by the misuse of antibiotics, according to an article on Mercola.com. [7] The Cheyenne incident underscores the need for rigorous oversight of industrial wastewater discharge, particularly from large-scale construction projects.
References
- Officials in Wyoming allegedly traced bacteria-contaminated water to a data center operated by a Meta contractor. - 100percentfedup.com. July 9, 2026.
- Is This Everyday Vitamin a Lifesaver for Coronavirus? - Mercola.com. February 24, 2020.
- Amitava Rakshit. "Bioremediation Science."
- Brighteon Broadcast News - HUGE MISTAKE - Mike Adams - Brighteon.com. August 1, 2025.
- Health Ranger Report - DATA CENTERS THREATEN HUMANITY - Mike Adams - BrightVideos.com. May 12, 2026.
- Kosseva Maria Webb Colin. "Food Industry Wastes Assessment and Recuperation of Commodities."
- The Antibiotic Apocalypse Advances - Mercola.com. September 20, 2016.
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