Rare bacteria, heavy metals, and toxic pollutants are leaking from data centers across the United States — breaking treatment facilities and poisoning rivers

Data centers in the United States are causing environmental harm by discharging wastewater containing rare bacteria, heavy metals, and toxic pollutants into nearby water treatment facilities and rivers. These violations have been reported in Wyoming, Virginia, New York, and Georgia, but the issue may be widespread throughout the country. Information on water usage and discharge for many data centers is scarce or being withheld.

In Wyoming, Meta was ordered to cease discharging wastewater from its construction site at a 960-acre Cheyenne campus following the detection of a resistant bacterium, Cupriavidus gilardii, in local sewers. The bacterium was identified after regulators analyzed a sample of the 801,000 gallons of wastewater Meta had released. Local officials halted the acceptance of wastewater from the site due to concerns over potential inhalation of contaminated droplets if used for irrigation. Two water treatment facilities were shut down for decontamination and cleanup.

Virginia is facing enforcement actions against multiple data centers for violating wastewater and wetland regulations. A data center under construction in West Virginia has been discharging stormwater runoff into a residential area, causing flooding twice. A data center near Lake Seneca, New York, is under scrutiny for releasing wastewater into the lake at temperatures up to 108F (42C), which could harm aquatic life and trigger toxic algae blooms.

The data center operator, Vulcan Infrastructure and Power, claims compliance with environmental laws.

Georgia's new data centers are drawing water from the Chattahoochee River, but local environmental advocates are concerned due to the lack of transparency regarding the amount of water being extracted and the wastewater being returned. Chris Manganiello, water policy director at Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, expressed anxiety over potential PFAS (forever chemicals) entering the river without sufficient information.

Data centers utilize vast amounts of water for cooling systems, often hundreds of thousands of gallons per day. While closed-loop cooling systems recycle water within the facility, they still pose environmental concerns when the water is released back into sewers, as treatment plants may not effectively filter out industrial contaminants like heavy metals or PFAS. Additionally, the construction of data centers in drought-stricken regions exacerbates water scarcity issues.