El Palo Alto’s very existence there has been a fluke. Redwoods are insatiable rain and fog drinkers, thriving in places where the annual rainfall is five to 10 feet. In Palo Alto, less than two feet of precipitation is common. Population growth and a flurry of wells drew down the creek’s water table in past decades, depriving the tree’s roots of water. George Hood, a city arborist at the time, concocted a plumbing system that sent water up the trunk that bathed El Palo Alto in fog-like mist.

Source: New York Times June 26, 2021 16:18 UTC