Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is facing growing scrutiny after a bacterial contamination linked to the company’s $800 million data center project in Cheyenne, Wyoming, forced the city to shut down its reclaimed wastewater system for months.
The Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities identified the source of the contamination as Goat Systems LLC, a Meta data center company involved in the Project Cosmo development.
Although the city’s industrial discharge permit for Goat Systems was revoked on March 24, the public was not informed until late June, and Meta was not identified as the source until July 2.
The incident prompted Congresswoman Harriet Hageman to demand answers directly from Zuckerberg.
“Many are rightfully concerned about high water consumption rates by data centers in our communities where every drop of water is accounted for and needed,” Hageman wrote.
“So I am even more concerned that this contamination seemingly came from your facility’s closed-loop cooling system, a technology that is marketed as being a solution to high data center water consumption rates.”
Wyoming U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman in a Thursday letter is demanding answers from Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg about how its Cheyenne data center contaminated the city’s wastewater system. “I am deeply concerned,” she wrote.https://t.co/C1O82SWmdH
— Cowboy State Daily (@daily_cowboy) July 9, 2026
She also criticized the delay in notifying the public.
“Many Wyomingites are also rightfully concerned that they learned about this contamination on June 26 and that the Meta Cheyenne facility was identified as the culprit on July 2nd, when the discharge privileges for Goat Systems was revoked on March 24th.”
“New industries seeking to enter small-community Wyoming life can only do so with support from local communities, which is earned built on trust, collaboration and communication with our citizens.”
“I am deeply concerned that Meta did not follow this model in this instance.”
Rare bacteria has been found in Cheyenne, Wyoming that’s been traced back to Mark Zuckerberg’s $800 million Meta data center
(via: @techradar) pic.twitter.com/xqTh18zLD8
— internet hall of fame (@InternetH0F) July 9, 2026
She asked Zuckerberg to explain how the contamination occurred.
“Wyoming deserves information and consultation from the industries which plan to call our state home,” Hageman concluded.
Meta said its contractor, Fortis, immediately stopped discharging industrial wastewater after the city identified the contamination and began hauling wastewater offsite.
The company claimed independent testing found no trace of the bacterium.
“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.”
