Living in Mentasta Lake, AK: what to set up and who to call
Mentasta Lake has no town government of its own, so Copper River Census Area runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Alaska Gateway School District. Power in Mentasta Lake comes from Birch Creek Village Elec Util, a municipal utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Mentasta Lake, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Mentasta Lake.
Power comes from Birch Creek Village Elec Util
Birch Creek Village Elec Util (Birch Creek Village Elec Util - (AK)), a municipal utility, serves all of Mentasta Lake.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Mentasta Washeteria/14 Plex water system
The Mentasta Washeteria/14 Plex water system supplies Mentasta Lake: about 30% of residents live in its service area. About 70% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 90 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 11,392 systems serving <=100 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 55% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. AK2381498.
1 home internet providers serve Mentasta Lake
90% of 90 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 90% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Valley Telephone | Fiber, DSL | 74% | 1,000/1,000 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Mentasta Lake’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Mentasta Lake.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Mentasta Lake is in Alaska Gateway School District.
Test scores and every school: see Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
No town hall: the county runs things
Mentasta Lake is unincorporated, so Copper River Census Area is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Mentasta Lake spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Mentasta Lake residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Mentasta Lake | ZIP’s residents in Mentasta Lake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99780 | Tok, AK | 92% | 8% |
| 99586 | Gakona, AK | 8% | 2% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Mentasta Lake
Who supplies Mentasta Lake’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Mentasta Washeteria/14 Plex water system (EPA ID AK2381498). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Mentasta Lake?
Birch Creek Village Elec Util (Birch Creek Village Elec Util - (AK)), a municipal utility.
What internet providers serve Mentasta Lake?
Copper Valley Telephone (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Mentasta Lake?
99780 (92%), 99586 (8%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Mentasta Lake in?
Alaska Gateway School District.
How do I register to vote in Mentasta Lake?
In Alaska you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Absentee and Petition Office. Check your registration at myvoterportal.alaska.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.