Bill addresses water quality at mobile home parks

BY HEATHER SACKETT ASPEN JOURNALISM

State legislators have introduced a bill that would create a water-testing program at mobile home parks, addressing residents’ long-standing concerns about water quality.

House Bill 1257, which is sponsored by District 57 Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Gar eld County, would require the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to create a watertesting program that covers all mobile home parks in the state by 2028. If the testing nds a water-quality issue, the park owner must come up with a remediation plan and not pass the cost of xing the problem on to the residents. e testing results would be made available to park residents and the public in English, Spanish and other languages. e bill would also require park owners to identify the water source and establish a grant program to help park owners pay for remediation options such as infrastructure upgrades.

e bill was introduced March 26, and its other sponsors are Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D- Larimer County, and Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Je erson County. Velasco, who said she lived in mobile home parks growing up, said she has heard complaints from residents about discolored water that stains clothes, smells and tastes bad, causes skin rashes, and breaks appliances. But often, those complaints go unaddressed because the water may still meet the standards of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water