US Data Centers Face Backlash Over Water Pollution

Officials in Cheyenne, Wyoming, got a big surprise earlier this year when they tested wastewater from a huge Meta data center being built nearby. The water contained a rare and potentially harmful bacterium called Cupriavidus gilardii. About 801,000 gallons of this water had already been released into the city's sewer system by a contractor working on the site. This discovery is just one of many recent cases where data centers across the United States have been linked to water pollution problems.

City officials were worried that people could breathe in tiny droplets of the bacteria-laced water if it was used for watering plants or lawns. Because of that risk, Cheyenne officials decided in July to stop accepting wastewater from Meta's contractor, a company called Goat Systems. That decision is now being challenged in court. Frank Strong, who manages water resources for the city, said the shutdown was done out of caution until more information could be found.

Meta, the company behind the massive $800 million data center campus, pushed back on the city's findings. The company said its own independent tests found no sign of the bacterium and questioned whether the city's tests were done correctly. A company spokesman said Meta is committed to being a good neighbor and protecting local water resources.

The Wyoming case is not alone — across the United States, data centers are facing growing criticism over how they use and discharge water. In Virginia, authorities have taken action against several data centers for breaking wastewater rules. In West Virginia, rainwater runoff from an unfinished data center flooded nearby homes twice. In New York, residents are fighting against a plan to discharge hot water from a data center into Lake Seneca.

A group called the Waterkeeper Alliance connects environmental organizations across the country, and it says 55 of its member groups are actively working on data center water issues. About 80% of those efforts focus on concerns that harmful pollutants are getting into the environment through water that data centers release. Some of these conflicts are heading to court, including in Georgia, where Flint Riverkeeper says it will sue the QTS data center for allegedly dumping dirt and dangerous metals into the Flint River.

Data centers need huge amounts of water to operate, mostly to cool their powerful computers. A medium-sized data center can use about 300,000 gallons of water every single day. The industry argues its water use is small compared to farms and other water-heavy industries, but critics say the pollution risks make data centers a serious concern. After the water is used, it is sent back out under rules set by local water authorities.

This used water can contain heavy metals and chemicals called PFAS — also known as "forever chemicals" — which are linked to serious health problems. PFAS can show up even in the special cooling systems that the data center industry promotes as being more water-efficient. When water is used to cool computers, it can come back out much hotter than before, which creates problems for rivers, lakes, and the animals that live in them.

The hot water issue is a major concern at Lake Seneca in New York, where water from a nearby facility can be discharged at 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Trout in the lake are already stressed at temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and the hot water can also cause harmful algae to grow. Yvonne Taylor of Seneca Lake Guardian warned that algal blooms are toxic to both people and animals, and can make it impossible to safely use tap water.

Finding out exactly what is in wastewater from data centers is difficult, and some companies and cities have fought to keep that information secret. An environmental group in Wisconsin sued to get more details about a Microsoft data center's water use. In Oregon, a city even sued its own local newspaper to block the release of water data about a Google data center, before eventually dropping the case. Experts say this lack of information makes it hard for communities to protect themselves.

The debate over data center water pollution has now spread into politics. Wyoming congresswoman Harriet Hageman wrote to Meta's CEO demanding answers about the bacterial contamination. President Trump, however, remains strongly in favor of data centers, calling them a "golden goose" for jobs and wealth. His administration has also made it harder for the public to learn about how data centers use local resources like water.