In the southwestern states, drinking tap water is like a slow and painful suicide because the water's so hard over here it's guaranteed to give you kidney stones the size of Russia and other health problems. Lotion is a must if you live over here because the water dries out your skin, too.
In the areas I've lived specifically, having a chemical like chlorine in fairly high concentrations or just a really fricken good filtration system is a must, or the water's too dangerous to drink. Most of our main water sources are man made lakes, and the few natural water sources in the area are usually protected because they sustain unique ecosystems, they're located on reserves, or they're owned by someone else.
My family has always relied on bottled water, which has slowly been declining in quality over the years (I can drink like 7 bottles of water in a half hour and still be dealthy thirsty), and when we weren't able to constantly afford bottled water, we had a filter tap installed into our sink for about 7 years.
Now, to contrast, the tap water in Seattle, Washington was frighteningly soft in comparison, and it didn't have a harsh metallic taste. San Francisco, California, which is in the northern half of that state, had somewhat hard water but it didn't dry out my skin. Refused to drink it, though.
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