Every Coloradan deserves access to clean water!
Mobile Home Park Water Quality is now the law!
Congratulations to all of the residents who played a part in the Clean Water For All Colorado Coalition! Colorado has taken an important step on the path toward environmental justice as the Mobile Home Park Water Quality bill today became law. Our sincere gratitude goes out to Reps. Elizabeth Velasco and Andrew Boesenecker and Sen. Lisa Cutter, who sponsored HB23-1257, and to Gov. Jared Polis who signed the bill into law Monday in Denver.
4-in-10 View Their Water As Unsafe
Almost 40% of residents in mobile home parks do not believe their water is safe for drinking, according to the 2022 Colorado Latino Policy Agenda annual survey.
Mobile home parks residents in Colorado
People with disabilities: 39%
Latinos: 29%
Age 65+: 25%
Veterans: 22%
Source: Root Policy Research, 2021
Poor Water Quality Largely Impacts Latinos
In Colorado, water contamination is primarily found in counties with high Latino populations according to the Colorado Latino Climate Justice Handbook.
Park Residents Need Action Now
There are over 800 mobile parks in Colorado that veterans, older adults, Latinos and people with disabilities call home. Many residents have voiced concerns over the quality of their water, but too often those concerns go unheard or unaddressed.
Support HB23-1257 to protect mobile home park residents from neglected infrastructure and poor water quality.
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Mobile home parks are important as an unsubsidized form of affordable housing.
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Mobile home park residents’ water quality is poor — often bad tasting and smelling, causing skin rashes and damaging appliances.
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Mobile home park residents face unique challenges because they do not own the pipes in the park that deliver water to their homes, and upgrading that infrastructure is very complicated and will likely take innovative approaches to find solutions.
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Colorado’s mobile home park residents are primarily on fixed incomes and have no alternative affordable housing options.
Mobile Homes in Colorado
An online survey of 104 mobile home park residents throughout the state conducted by Clean Water for All Colorado found:
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Top concerns are with taste, color, and smell of their water
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95% of respondents don't trust the tap water in their home
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73% do not drink their tap water and 46% do not cook with it
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53% spend more than $50 per month purchasing bottled water
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88% don't trust park management to address their concerns
There are no easy solutions since most of the parks are privately owned and do not qualify for publicly funded grants or loans. It will take cooperation from park owners, local governments and the state to find solutions to overcome this challenge.
