Living in Cottonwood, AL: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2024 is still open for Cottonwood Water Works. Power in Cottonwood comes from Wiregrass Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cottonwood, 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 Cottonwood.
Power comes from Wiregrass Electric Coop
Wiregrass Electric Coop (Wiregrass Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Cottonwood. Its homes paid an average of 16.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $194 a month (its average across Alabama).
Start or move service: wiregrass.coop · (334) 588-2223
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Cottonwood Water Works
Cottonwood Water Works supplies Cottonwood: about 84% of residents live in its service area. About 16% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water (EPA lists Houston County Water Authority as seller) and serves 3,570 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people had none. 1 older violation is still open, since 2024: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 1.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 62% 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. AL0000677.
6 home internet providers serve Cottonwood
97% of 638 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 25% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 88% | 1,200/35 |
| WOW! | Cable, DSL | 80% | 1,000/50 |
| Troy Cablevision | Fiber | 24% | 10,000/10,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 58% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 55% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 32% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Cottonwood’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Cottonwood.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Cottonwood is in Houston County School District.
A−School 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 Jul 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Cottonwood spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Cottonwood residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cottonwood | ZIP’s residents in Cottonwood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36320 | Cottonwood, AL | 98% | 29% |
| 36343 | Gordon, AL | 2% | 1% |
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 Cottonwood
Who supplies Cottonwood’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Cottonwood Water Works (EPA ID AL0000677). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.7 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Cottonwood?
Wiregrass Electric Coop (Wiregrass Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 16.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Cottonwood?
Xfinity, WOW!, Troy Cablevision, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cottonwood?
36320 (98%), 36343 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cottonwood in?
Houston County School District.
How do I register to vote in Cottonwood?
In Alabama you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Houston County Circuit Clerk. Check your registration at myinfo.alabamavotes.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 Nov 18, 2024 (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.