2025

Offseason Changes

The Board of Public Utilities (BOPU) traced the presence of a bacterium discovered in its wastewater treatment facility earlier this year to Goat Systems LLC, a Meta contractor for the tech company’s in-progress 715,000-square-foot data center campus, according to recent public notices from the BOPU.

The bacterium did not enter Cheyenne’s drinking water supply and was found in systems used for irrigation purposes only. Cupriavidus gilardii is a rare organism typically found naturally in water and soil. Infections from this bacterium are extremely rare, BOPU said, but can pose a threat to elders and immunocompromised individuals directly exposed to it.

It was discovered during routine testing in February, prompting BOPU to temporarily suspend the city’s reclaimed water irrigation program and terminate Meta’s discharge privileges. 

The board also announced last week it would not accept industrial wastewater discharges associated with fill-and-flush operations—which circulates, then flushes purified water to eliminate construction debris and residue—nor closed-loop cooling systems popular in data centers that circulate coolants mixed with water.

The board classified the incident as “significant non-compliance with federal pretreatment regulations.”

“Over the past two months, BOPU staff have undertaken significant remediation efforts, including draining and disinfecting the entire reuse water system and Prairie View Pond to eliminate any remaining bacterial presence,” one notice said.

Cheyenne’s BOPU declined Fortune’s request for comment and said it will hold a press conference in the next week with additional details on the situation. 

A Meta spokesperson told Fortune the company is supporting Fortis, its general contractor, in its efforts to resolve the problem, and that Fortis began testing its own water through a third-party environmental specialist, who found no traces of the bacterium.

“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,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Meta is committed to being a good neighbor in Cheyenne, including through the protection of local water resources, and will continue encouraging collaboration between Fortis and the board until this situation is resolved.”

Pollutants from data center construction and operations are part of the mounting anxieties Americans have around the exploding growth of AI infrastructure around the country. A recent Gallup poll found about 70% of Americans somewhat or strongly oppose the construction of data centers in their local area. While half of respondents cited environmental concerns, such as excess water usage and deforestation, 16% of respondents cited pollutants, including air and water contamination, among reasons for their opposition.

Meta announced the construction of the Cheyenne data center in July 2024, saying it would be the company’s 21st data center in the U.S. and 25th globally. According to the company, Cheyenne provided access to infrastructure and energy and had a large talent pool from which to recruit.

Meta projected that the $800 million investment would sustain more than 1,000 construction jobs at the height of the build and support 100 jobs once completed. The campus is one of 27 data centers in Cheyenne and 31 in Wyoming. By comparison, Northern Virginia has the most data centers in the country, with about 550.

The tech company, for its part, previously said it would allocate resources toward the energy grid and water-cleanup efforts, including working with Black Hills Energy and the Laramie County Conservation District to restore Crow Creek, which recharges the state’s Ogallala Aquifer.

“Meta wants to be a positive contributor in communities like Cheyenne,” the company’s announcement said. “And that includes investing in the energy grid and supporting local water restoration projects.”

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder hosted her first community listening session Thursday night since returning from a three-month medical leave.

Dozens of District 9 residents packed the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center to welcome back Fielder and voice concerns about issues affecting their communities.

“We are thankful that you took time for yourself to equip yourself to be sitting here today,” one attendee told Fielder. “So I thank you and commend you for returning.”

Fielder returned to City Hall last month after taking a three-month medical leave.

“I’m just grateful for the outpouring of support that I had and glad to be back on the job,” Fielder said. “Mental health is really prevalent, and I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I had a mental health crisis. This is a challenging job, and I’m very privileged to be here.”

Fielder said she is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings to give residents an opportunity to voice their concerns.

“To me, the biggest issue locally is the homeless issue, and it’s citywide,” San Francisco resident Maggie Weis said.

Fielder was joined by members of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and San Francisco Police Department to answer questions about pedestrian safety, city budget cuts and other issues.

The supervisor said one of her priorities moving forward is expanding access to clean, well-maintained public restrooms.

“[We’re] still seeing a lot of feces around the district and city,” Fielder said. “Would love to see our city have more public bathrooms and be able to maintain them as well.”

The next listening session is scheduled for July 23 at 6 p.m. at La Fénix in the Mission.

Watch the full report from KRON4’s Sara Stinson in the video player at the top of the story.