[myrmidon]

> Putting a price on it does not solve it because the entities that compete for the water with the data centers are out-matched financially.

I don't think this argument works at all, because bigger datacenter operator does NOT mean "tolerates higher OPEX".

> How is a city [...] supposed to pay more for water than a multi-billion dollar company?

I do not understand this; the city would not compete with the datacenter operator for water-- the farmers would, and both of those would be paying the municipality for the water (ideally), not vice-versa. Residential users already pay much more for water (typically, compared to farming/industry) so any renegotiation is unlikely to affect them much.

[emushack]

Cities in my area have to buy their water. The sources of water are limited and finite. Data centers also buy it from the same sources.

I'm lost. How is a bigger business unable to tolerate higher opex in a space that is famous for economies of scale?