- Meta Was the Source of Bacterial Contamination That Shut Down Cheyenne Water Reclamation Plants
- The water was used to fill and flush closed-loop cooling systems in a Meta data center.
- The city of Cheyenne has indefinitely suspended the treatment of reclaimed water from data center projects
The Cheyenne Public Utilities Board announced the city will no longer accept industrial wastewater from its closed-loop data center cooling system after detecting a rare bacteria in the city’s wastewater treatment plants.
The bacteria was detected after Goat Systems LLC, responsible for construction of the Meta campus in Cheyenne, discharged wastewater into Cheyenne’s sanitary sewers. The tests then identified the bacteria Cupriavidus gilardii had contaminated the factory, with the board of directors recently naming the Meta data center as the source of contamination.
Two water recovery plants were taken out of service and a months-long clean-up operation took place. Goat Systems initially had its water drainage privileges revoked in late March, ahead of the broader ban against other Cheyenne data centers.
The contamination occurred during a filling and flushing operation of the campus’ closed-loop cooling systems. This cleaning method flushes water through the pipes used to cool data centers to remove debris and contaminants, before the system is filled with coolant and sealed.
The collected water was then delivered to the city’s sanitary sewers by Goat Systems. The source of the bacteria remains unknown, but the water used to flush the system was purchased directly from the commission, according to Frank Strong, director of the commission’s water engineering and resources division.
The contamination incident has highlighted new concerns about how water treatment plants can treat industrial wastewater from data center construction projects. Many closed-loop systems use chemicals such as propylene glycol as an antifreeze agent, but many water reclamation systems are unable to handle the filtration of these and other chemicals.
Additionally, water treated by the City of Cheyenne’s reclamation plants is reused to water public green spaces such as parks and golf courses, increasing risks Cupriavidus gilardii could cause human infections if aerosolized.
The two facilities, Dry Creek and Crow Creek, were forced to close for maintenance and decontamination in February, but were allowed to operate in late June and resumed processing reclaimed water.
Cheyenne City Councilman Pete Laybourn said the revelation that Meta was the source of the contamination was “a very, very unpleasant surprise,” adding that he “still has a lot to learn.” It definitely complicates things.”
Water system interference predictions come true
Many groups in the United States advocating for a pause on data center construction have frequently cited concerns about the use of local water and energy infrastructure. Today, both concerns are legitimized.
Some communities in areas with new data center construction projects have seen double-digit increases in electricity prices because new data centers require immense amounts of energy to produce the computing power needed for AI models. A bill currently moving through Congress aims to force tech giants to pay for the energy they use, as well as fund infrastructure upgrades to maintain a reliable power supply for local communities.
In other parts of the United States, data centers are being built in drought-affected areas, threatening already endangered local ecosystems and raising concerns about the prioritization of water resources for farms and local communities.
Via Tom’sMaterial
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