- Hartman, a small town in southeastern Colorado with fewer than 60 residents, was declared abandoned after all local public leaders resigned due to a severe drinking water supply crisis.
- The town had lacked chlorine in its water for over a month, with residents under a boil-water order for months, and the water was described as 'not potable' and 'smells horrible'.
- Political infighting, accusations of fraud, a physical fight at a board meeting, and failure to repair the water tower prevented any water operators from stepping in to help.
- The Colorado secretary of state ruled that abandonment was the only legal mechanism to provide residents with clean water, as the town could no longer hold elections or fix its water infrastructure.