Policy · 1h ago
Meta halts data center water discharge after polluting city reclamation system with resistant bacteria
Meta was identified as the source of a rare metal and drug-resistant bacterium that forced the shutdown of two water reclamation plants. The contamination originated from its data center discharges, requiring months-long cleaning. Meta has halted water discharges while remediation efforts proceed.
Meridian48 take
This incident highlights the overlooked environmental risks of data center operations, where cooling systems can introduce biological contaminants into municipal infrastructure.
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‘A very, very unpleasant surprise’: Meta forced to halt data center water discharges after polluting city's water reclamation system with resistant bacterium — shutdown and cleaning of two water reclamation plants expected to last months →
TechRadar
data-centersenvironmental-regulation