Even if you're poor, I doubt having to drive to the fire house and fill buckets or 55-gallon drums with free water is going to be cheaper than a municipal water

Even if you're poor, I doubt having to drive to the fire house and fill buckets or 55-gallon drums with free water is going to be cheaper than a municipal water system (paying for gas, paying for those buckets, the time that you can't spend working at an hourly job). I would expect that if this persists, a commercial water delivery industry will spring up in the area. Of course, either way, you are very motivated to use much less water than you would if your well worked for actually free.