A wave of reporting since early September 2026 has renewed scrutiny of wastewater practices at data centers being built across the United States, documenting a pattern of pollution violations and undisclosed contamination episodes tied to the rapid expansion of AI computing infrastructure. Recent accounts catalogue several separate incidents — from a rare bacterium detected in wastewater discharged by a Meta data center project in Wyoming to allegations of tainted well water surrounding Meta facilities in Georgia — that have alarmed regulators, residents and environmental groups.
A Rare Bacterium in Wyoming
In Cheyenne, Wyoming, officials conducting a routine test on wastewater discharged from a massive under-construction Meta data center found it contained Cupriavidus gilardii, a rare and potentially hazardous bacterium, in roughly 801,000 gallons of water ejected by contractor Goat Systems earlier this year. Although the water was never destined for the public drinking supply, concern that residents could inhale evaporating droplets from irrigation use led city officials to stop accepting wastewater from the contractor in July — a decision that is now being appealed.
Muddied Wells and Falling Water Pressure in Georgia
In Morgan County, Georgia, families living near a Meta data center allege that extensive tree clearing, blasting and excavation during construction disturbed the area's underground aquifer, turning their well water turbid with silt and sediment that clogged plumbing and damaged appliances. Several families have since filed suit in Gwinnett County. The issue became a national flashpoint in May 2026 when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez presented jars of discolored tap water from the neighborhood to EPA officials during a congressional hearing, prompting the agency to promise an investigation. Separately, a large data center campus in Fayette County was found to have drawn water through two previously unaccounted-for connections, contributing to a drop in local water pressure that forced nearby residents to stop watering their lawns.
Leaks and Untracked Withdrawals in Oklahoma
In El Reno, Oklahoma, a data center tied to AI and cryptocurrency operations lost more than 3 million gallons of water after a private line failed, straining the municipal system, temporarily closing schools and government offices, and adding pressure amid one of the state's worst droughts in years. City officials say they intend to seek reimbursement from the property owner. Elsewhere in the state, a data center campus in Pryor reportedly withdrew more than 1.1 billion gallons of water in a single year, while the absence of statewide reporting requirements has left water use at many newer Oklahoma facilities effectively untracked.
The 'Forever Chemicals' Problem
Beyond spills and leaks, researchers and advocacy groups warn that data centers may also be contributing to pollution from PFAS, a class of synthetic compounds nicknamed 'forever chemicals' because they resist breaking down in the environment. PFAS are used both in cooling systems at large AI facilities and in the semiconductors that power them. Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, senior attorney with Earthjustice, said there's been very little analysis and disclosure of PFAS used in data centers, calling it a significant information gap given how quickly the industry is expanding. Groups including the Sierra Club and Food & Water Watch argue that oversight has not kept pace with construction, and that a 2025 executive order easing environmental permitting for data centers, along with EPA proposals to speed up chemical reviews, could weaken safeguards further.
Regulatory Push and Industry Pushback
Some lawmakers have pushed back on looser federal oversight. In a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA, Senate Democrats led by Adam Schiff warned that granting data centers a blanket Clean Water Act permit could let large projects bypass individual environmental review, cautioning that the country should not repeat the mistakes of the Industrial Revolution that led to the EPA's creation in the first place. Industry representatives, including the Data Center Coalition, maintain that operators remain subject to existing federal and state water regulations, and note that many newer facilities are adopting closed-loop or air-cooling systems designed to sharply cut water demand.
A Wider Pattern of Local Opposition
The pollution concerns are compounding a broader backlash against data center construction nationwide. Community meetings in cities such as Colorado Springs have drawn hundreds of residents citing worries over noise, water and energy use tied to new facilities. Researchers tracking the industry's growth note that roughly two-thirds of U.S. data centers built or in development since 2022 are sited in water-stressed regions, even as planned gas-fired power capacity dedicated to data centers has nearly doubled in the past six months. With thousands of facilities already operating and thousands more proposed to meet AI and cloud-computing demand, environmental groups say the incidents in Wyoming, Georgia and Oklahoma point to a transparency gap regulators have yet to close.
