Colorado declares the small town of Hartman abandoned after months of problems tied to its drinking water system and a breakdown in local leadership. According to reporting, the state’s secretary of state, Jena Griswold, announced the decision on 29 July. The move follows written warnings to town officials indicating the water supply was not potable, with documentation cited that Hartman had lacked chlorine for more than a month and that the water smelled “horrible.”
Multiple accounts link the declaration to a leadership and governance crisis. Residents reportedly sought the abandoned designation after infighting among local stakeholders exacerbated the water situation and prompted all town leaders to resign. Newsweek describes the town being declared abandoned amid months of political paralysis alongside the reported water crisis.
While the articles focus on the declaration itself and the circumstances leading up to it, they describe the same chain of events: prolonged water treatment deficiencies, public concerns about water safety, resignations of the town’s officials, and state action that concludes with the town being designated abandoned.
