Which places have paused or refused data centres over water?

The pattern is consistent across jurisdictions. A proponent states that a facility will be closed loop or will use little water, the community asks how that will be confirmed, and no mechanism exists to answer. The decision then turns on trust rather than evidence, which is a poor basis for approving infrastructure that lasts decades.

Alberta illustrates the supply-side version of the same constraint. The southern basins are closed to new allocation, so new industrial water moves by transfer, and the province passed a Water Amendment Act intended to improve water monitoring and transparency.

For an operator, the practical consequence is schedule risk rather than water cost. A development that cannot demonstrate its water position carries the cost of delay, which is generally far larger than the cost of measuring properly.