Most economists agree that our water problems would be solved if we priced water like other goods: according to supply, demand, and environmental impact. Water would be more expensive during droughts and more affordable during wet years or seasons. There could also be tiered pricing, like for electricity, so everyone can afford enough water to drink and wash.

However, making that happen politically would be very hard, given that voters are used to cheap water.

Well, we already have tiered pricing: Web Link Seasonal rate changes are a good idea!

Every brand new house I have seen has a deep green lawn in front.
The cities parks and landscaping are lush.
The basic flaw is people.
The more people who live in Mountain View and the more people who work here the more water they use.
Is that rocket science no one can figure out?
It is not going to change and in fact will get worse.
The only realistic solution is to increase the water supply. A move no one seems to be willing to address.
More storage of runoff. New dams. Desalinization plants on the coast perhaps using solar instead of nuclear. Stop sending our water to southern California. Stop fracking and other wastefull endaevers.
Clearly these and others are viable long term solutions.

We have a limitless supply of water to the west of us, and a limitless supply of energy directly above us. A solar-powered desalinization plant would solve all our water woes. We'd just rather spend billions of dollars funding a new social network than providing water to people.