Colorado town declared abandoned after officials quit and water deemed unsafe

Hartman, Colorado, was officially declared abandoned after its last elected officials resigned and the town’s water supply was found to be a health hazard.

Colorado’s Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced that the town of Hartman is officially abandoned under state law, ending a period of governmental vacuum that began when the three remaining trustees quit in January after a physical dispute at a board meeting. The tiny community, home to roughly 30 people, has been forced to live under a boil-water order since at least February due to a lack of chlorine and a foul odor in the supply.

A resident’s petition highlighted the town’s inability to hold elections, manage water infrastructure, or even maintain basic municipal functions despite receiving over $1 million in grant money. Deputy Secretary of State Andrew Kline held a hearing in July, heard testimony from both supporters and opponents of the abandonment, and issued a 15-page order stating that dissolution was the only mechanism to allow residents to obtain safe water. Prowers County commissioners will now assume control of the town’s roads and water facilities, transferring them to an entity focused on water treatment and delivery.