Many (most?) water sources in the west are more alkaline than you’re used to, with high amounts of dissolved solids, especially calcium, magnesium, etc. Fairly typical pH’s are in the 7.5 to 8.5 range. Most water/soil east of the Big Muddy is slightly acidic.
That said, water is where you find it out here. If you’ve never hiked/camped/hunted in the west, and you plan to, you’ll either be packing a lot of water, or you’ll get used to some pretty iffy looking water sources.
I’ve even had to use water from cattle troughs out here. Tastes like crap, but it is still water.
Are you in a city or in the desert? Flying into Vegas I’m amazed at the small dots of houses that are in the middle of NOWHERE. I mean a house miles and miles with nothing around, not even a road(sometimes you see tire tracks in the dirt). No stores, no police department; how do they get mail or energy?
It boggles my mind, I just stare for the last 1 1/2 hours on the flight. Last time I spotted a house in the middle of nowhere, but down a huge valley at the foot of moutain, with no roads I could see. It looked like it would take 20 minutes just to get out of the hollow if there was a road.
If you pay attention outbound you can see where the emptiness of the desert starts to hold some brush and then trees and turns into the foliage of a greener climate. It happens so fast you can see it in one view.