If Menlo Park is doing it maybe it's time to re-drill that old well in the back yard from 1948 and put it to good use. I expect with the drought over there is zero chance water prices will go back to pre-drought levels so the well may be a good answer for watering the plants.

I would agree. Our extremely high water rates won't go down so better to dust off that old well. I wonder where the water table might be in Menlo Park?

Note that the city plans to go to 400 ft in order to get usable water.

Water from shallower wells is unlikely to be potable and is probably too alkaline to be usable for irrigation of most plants.

"Water from shallower wells is unlikely to be potable and is probably too alkaline to be usable for irrigation of most plants."

Peter: I've installed reverse osmosis systems on shallower wells to make the water usable for irrigation (150'). It isn't cheap, but it's doable. Requires a holding tank so water can be treated and put into a tank to allow sufficient flow for irrigation.