Meta Data Center Tied to Rare Bacteria in Wyoming Water Supply

Data center commissioning introduces uncommon pathogen

A Meta AI data center under construction in Cheyenne, Wyoming has been linked to the detection of a rare bacterium in the city's reclaimed water system, according to a report first published by Forbes. The incident occurred in February when wastewater from the facility's commissioning process entered Cheyenne's wastewater network, introducing Cupriavidus gilardii into water used for irrigation and other non-potable purposes.

City officials temporarily shut down portions of the reclaimed water system to conduct remediation work after detecting the bacterium. While the contamination never reached drinking water supplies, authorities expressed concern about potential exposure through aerosolized water droplets in public spaces such as parks and golf courses.

Cupriavidus gilardii is an environmental bacterium naturally found in soil and water. Human infections are uncommon and typically occur in individuals with compromised immune systems or significant underlying health conditions. When infections do develop, treatment can be complicated by antibiotic resistance in some bacterial strains.

Why it matters

This appears to be the first publicly documented case of microbial contamination associated with an AI data center project. As companies race to build infrastructure for AI services, the incident reveals that data centers can affect local communities through pathways beyond the widely reported concerns about water consumption and energy use. The contamination occurred during fill-and-flush operations—a standard process for cleaning and preparing large cooling systems before they become operational—suggesting that even pre-operational phases of data center development carry public health risks that require oversight.

Company response and context

A Meta spokesperson told Business Insider that the company and its contractor Fortis took immediate action when the contamination was identified. "When the board shared that it found a substance in the city's wastewater — not public drinking water — Fortis immediately stopped discharging industrial wastewater and began hauling it offsite," the spokesperson said. Fortis also initiated independent water testing with an environmental specialist, which found no trace of the substance.

The Wyoming case follows a pattern seen with other large-scale cooling infrastructure. Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaires' disease, has been linked to numerous outbreaks from poorly maintained water systems. New York City health officials are currently investigating an outbreak on the Upper East Side that has sickened 36 people and hospitalized 22.

Broader implications for AI infrastructure

While the Cheyenne incident does not indicate that AI data centers are inherently sources of infectious disease—particularly since it occurred during commissioning rather than normal operations—it highlights how the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is reshaping communities in unexpected ways. Residents near data centers have increasingly complained about noise impacts on health and wellbeing. The bacterial contamination adds another dimension to the public health considerations that should inform decisions about where to locate and how to operate these facilities.

Details of the incident were first reported by Victoria Forster in Forbes.