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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Ramon Antonio Vargas

Colorado declares town abandoned amid water and leadership crisis

Aerial view of Hartman, Colorado, with scattered houses, bare trees and a white water tower
The Hartman, Colorado, government collapsed and the town was unable to hold elections and deal with a severe water issue. Photograph: Hyoung Chang/Denver Post/Getty Images

A small town in south-eastern Colorado was recently declared abandoned after all of its local public leaders resigned amid a drinking water supply crisis.

The office of Colorado’s secretary of state, Jena Griswold, announced the fate of Hartman on 29 July, a little more than a month after being advised in writing that the town “had lacked chlorine in its water for [more than] one month and the water was not potable and ‘smells horrible’”, according to public documents.

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