Law of "unintended" consequences...pulling whatever moisture is in the desert air is sure to affect the biology of said desert. Desal is the way to go...
Drill down, you'll find water. De sal as needed, inject the leftover brine back into the same formation a few miles away. I worked a well in Nevada where the water was only 200 ppm Chlorides--it looked like oil on the resistivity log. BLM lease, permit to produce oil, not water. P&A.