美国洛基山地区的牧场主正面临前所未有的水资源危机。上科罗拉多河流域（包括怀俄明州、科罗拉多州、犹他州和新墨西哥州）今年的雪量创下历史新低，迫使牧场主们每天为牲畜运送饮用水[1]。科学研究表明，人为气候变化使这种极端干旱的出现可能性增加了约14倍[1]。
牧场主们正采取多种措施应对这场危机。Scott Snyder每天需要运输8次，花费9小时为800对母牛-牛犊补充水分[1]；Lance Bray购置了行驶里程超过30万英里的平板卡车作为第三辆水运车[1]；Jeff Christensen在犹他州中部钻凿了两口深达500英尺的水井，成本约为2万美元[1]。除了运水之外，牧场主还通过减少畜群和购买饲草等方式适应干旱[1]。
恢复正常状态仍遥遥无期。Mark Ragsdale指出，需要10年以上高于正常的降水才能使水情恢复到常态[1]。美国农业部为运水和饲草的超常成本提供补偿，但无法弥补牧场主投入的时间成本[1]。
Ranchers across the Upper Colorado River Basin are confronting an unprecedented water crisis as record-low snowfall forces them into a grueling daily routine of transporting water to sustain their livestock.[1] The Upper Colorado River Basin, which spans Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico, has experienced historically minimal snow accumulation this year.[1] Scientific research has determined that human-caused climate change has made such extreme snow-water droughts approximately 14 times more likely to occur.[1]
The toll on ranching operations has become substantial. Scott Snyder devotes nine hours per day to eight water-hauling trips to supply drinking water for 800 cow-calf pairs.[1] Similarly, Lance Bray has purchased a third water-transport truck—a flatbed vehicle with over 300,000 miles on its odometer—to meet his operation's water demands.[1] Jeff Christensen in central Utah has invested approximately $20,000 to drill two water wells each 500 feet deep.[1] According to Mark Ragsdale, recovery to normal conditions will require more than a decade of above-average precipitation.[1]
While the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides compensation for extraordinary hauling and hay-purchase expenses, the assistance does not fully address the burden on ranchers.[1] The financial support does not account for the time costs ranchers absorb in managing this daily crisis.[1]