Cheyenne BOPU traces rare bacteria discharge to Meta data center contractor

The Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities has identified Goat Systems LLC, a contractor working on Meta’s in-progress data center campus in the High Plains Business Park, as the source of a discharge that introduced the bacteria Cupriavidus gilardii into the city’s wastewater treatment system.

Frank Strong, BOPU’s engineering and water resource division manager, told the paper on Thursday that the contamination was discovered during routine testing in February.

As a result, BOPU temporarily suspended Cheyenne’s reclaimed water irrigation program, permanently terminated Meta’s discharge privileges and adopted a new policy prohibiting wastewater discharges from data centers using closed-loop cooling systems and fill-and-flush systems, which involves circulating purified water to remove construction debris, flux residue and pipe scale, draining it and filling the loop with fresh coolant.

Read more at Wyoming Tribune Eagle