Meta's AI datacenter site experienced a rare bacteria contamination scare in water systems, raising operational risk profile.

Meta's AI data center project in Cheyenne, Wyoming has encountered a water contamination issue before the facility has even opened.

A rare bacterium linked to severe infections—Cupriavidus gilardii—was discovered in water used on parks and golf courses. City officials confirmed that Cheyenne's drinking water was not affected, but the municipality paused its reclaimed-water irrigation program while crews drained and disinfected the network.

According to Meta and the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, general contractor Fortis stopped the discharge after officials notified the company, began hauling industrial wastewater offsite, and found no trace of the bacterium through independent environmental testing.

Cheyenne's Board of Public Utilities detected Cupriavidus gilardii during routine testing in February. Months of review led officials to Goat Systems LLC, a contractor working on Meta's Project Cosmo campus. The company had sent pipe-flushing water from the construction site into the city sewer as part of work to clean cooling-system pipes. Frank Strong, the utility board's engineering and water resources division manager, stated: "As soon as we became aware of the bacteria and then of where it was coming from, we shut them down immediately."

Cheyenne LEADS CEO Betsey Hale noted that the bacterium was already present in the environment and was not created by the construction process.

The risk intensified because Cheyenne's reuse system treats wastewater for public irrigation, and sprinkler use can break water into small airborne droplets. Strong explained that the aerosol effect increased the potential for health issues. UC San Francisco infectious disease expert Monica Gandhi told SFGATE that people could become infected by inhaling droplets carrying the bacterium. While known infections are rare and carry higher risks for immunocompromised individuals, the bacterium can cause severe lung and blood infections and, in some cases, sepsis.

Cheyenne subsequently revoked the project's access to city treatment facilities and barred the use of similar wastewater in certain data center cooling work. Some closed-loop systems use glycol or other chemicals that municipal plants are not designed to process.

For tech companies and their cloud customers, Cheyenne serves as a cautionary case about execution risk. Utility approvals can determine whether major infrastructure projects stay on track, and wastewater disputes can strain sustainability claims while giving nearby communities additional reason to scrutinize large AI campuses before they become operational.