The sight of trucks bringing water up the mountain to the tiny village of Cloudcroft, N.M., has become familiar to its 900 or so local residents, many of whom are American Indians. Despite its small groundwater supply system, the town can grow to 3,000 people during peak tourist season.
The limited groundwater supplies and virtually non-existent sources of surface water are insufficient to provide enough water to the village, so the residents have relied on trucked-in water during those times of the year when the population swells.