Officials in Wyoming said a contractor for Mark Zuckerberg’s tech company, Meta, flushed bacteria-contaminated water into public sewers during construction of a controversial new AI datacenter. The incident prompted water authorities in Cheyenne to implement strict safety regulations on how wastewater from such projects is disposed of. … The company, however, noted that contamination by the rare but naturally occurring Cupriavidus gilardii bacterium did not affect drinking water supplies. … The incident comes amid growing nationwide backlash to the construction of resource-hungry datacenters, which opponents say place unbearable demands on local water and energy supplies. 

Other data center water use news around the West:

• SFGate: ‘I wouldn’t want it anywhere’: Officials trace rare bacteria back to Meta data center construction
• KBAK (Bakersfield, Calif.): Inyokern Airport joins opposition to proposed data center, citing community impacts
• Nevada Current: Clark County commissioners hear push for data center moratorium but take no action
• The Cool Down: Arizona data center touted as using less water than farmland may just shift the thirst
• Politico: The ‘time-consuming’ permits dozens of data centers are skipping