How can one know if the water is reasonable in the US? We certainly cannot trust the local governments tasked with this job. Recent events in Flint and hundreds of other places in the US show that, if you can afford it, bottled water is at least safe compared to the local tap water (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/01/19/erin-brocko...). I guess it's either that or get out the science kits every day and test your own water. Which I'm sure takes a lot more time and money than buying bottled. Basically, drinking tap water in the US is a huge gamble and it's not worth it. You don't have to leave the country to get third world water. It's everywhere here. Then again, much of the US is third world if you judge by such criteria as clean water and healthcare access.