Photo: Joseph from Cabin On The Road, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Living in Valdez, AK: what to set up and who to call
Power in Valdez comes from Birch Creek Village Elec Util, a municipal utility rather than a private company. For an emergency, Providence Valdez Medical Center is the closest ER, 16.9 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Valdez, 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 Valdez.
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 Valdez.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Valdez Water System - Main
Valdez Water System - Main supplies almost all of Valdez. It draws ground water and serves 4,500 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 4.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 90% 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. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. AK2298103.
2 home internet providers serve Valdez
100% of 1,683 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Valley Telephone | Fiber, DSL | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| GCI | Cable | 89% | 2,500/75 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Valdez
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Valdez, from the town’s own site.
Baler Facility (City Baler)
500 S. Sawmill Rd., Valdez, AK 99686
- Mon9 am–5 pm
- Tue9 am–5 pm
- Wed9 am–5 pm
- Thu9 am–5 pm
- Fri9 am–5 pm
- Sat9 am–5 pm
From valdezak.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated October 31, 2020. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Valdez is in Valdez City School District.
BSchool gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Valdez is in ZIP code 99686
ZIP codes where Valdez residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Valdez | ZIP’s residents in Valdez |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99686 | Valdez, AK | 100% | 99% |
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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Valdez
Who supplies Valdez’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Valdez Water System - Main (EPA ID AK2298103). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 4.7 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Valdez?
Birch Creek Village Elec Util (Birch Creek Village Elec Util - (AK)), a municipal utility.
What internet providers serve Valdez?
Copper Valley Telephone, GCI (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Valdez?
99686. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Valdez in?
Valdez City School District.
How do I register to vote in Valdez?
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: Valdez’s own website (valdezak.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- 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.