New Act to Test Drinking Water Quality in Mobile Home Parks

Governor Polis signed the Mobile Home Park Water Quality Act in June 2023. The law creates a drinking water testing program for Colorado's mobile home parks. The goal is to test all parks for primary and secondary contaminants. Secondary contaminants are often related to an adverse smell, taste, and color. Mobile home parks are a vital source of relatively  affordable housing for many people. While some parks are regulated and meet the current drinking water standards, many residents feel that their drinking water is unsafe. As a result of these concerns and potential problems created with secondary contaminants, some residents feel compelled to buy bottled water for drinking and cooking. The testing will check if there is a water quality issue at each park. Remediation is required if there is a water quality issue that impacts the welfare and safety of the residents.

The department will test 750 parks across the state over a four year period. Each year, 25% of the parks must be tested. Testing will start in July 2024 and end in July 2028. The department is responsible for developing the overall testing plan, prioritizing the sampling, conducting stakeholder outreach, reviewing results, and requiring remediation. An independent contractor will conduct the testing. We will also interview park community members about water quality concerns. This will ensure representative testing in each park. 

Testing may include:

• Primary contaminants: Testing will be conducted if the park is:
• Not regulated as a public water system; or 
• Does not receive its drinking water from another regulated public water system.
• All parks will be tested for secondary contaminants (e.g., hardness, total dissolved solids, iron, odor, and manganese). 
• All parks will be tested for “forever chemicals” (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)) unless:
• The park has already participated in recent PFAS voluntary efforts; or 
• The system they purchase water from has participated in recent PFAS voluntary efforts.  

All testing results will be posted on our website. We will notify the following entities within 10 days of receiving results:

• The mobile home park owner.
• The county health department and/or city government.
• The Mobile Home Park Oversight Program (MHPOP) in the Department of Local Affairs.
• The mobile home park’s water supplier.
• The CDPHE Environmental Justice Ombudsperson.

Once notified, park owners must notify residents of results within five days. If the department identifies a water quality issue, the park owner must:

• Include information about the issue in the notice
• Prepare and submit a remediation plan within 120 days
• Comply with any orders issued
• Not pass the cost of compliance on the Park residents

The department is developing resources for both residents and park residents. This includes lists or websites for: 

1. Professional translation vendors
2. Certified contract operators
3. Certified labs
4. Colorado’s Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network
5. Water haulers

What does this mean for water suppliers and operators?

Park owners or residents may ask about testing. If your water system sells water to a park, you may be contacted for additional information. Here is a list of Colorado’s registered parks across the state. Parks may want to tap into the local utility if testing identifies a water quality issue.

We anticipate that some parks may meet the definition of a public water system and be regulated. These systems will need to hire a certified operator, develop monitoring plans, and start testing the water. They may reach out to neighboring systems for operator referrals or questions about treatment. For example, if the park identified high levels of manganese, they might ask other systems what type of treatment they are using. 

 For more information, please visit our Mobile Home Park website.

➽ Stephanie Hosie, Drinking Water Compliance Assurance