Photo: Bruce Fingerhood from Springfield, Oregon, US · CC BY 2.0Living in Alturas, CA: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2024 is still open for the City of Alturas water system. Alturas has its own library, Modoc County Library, at 212 W. Third St.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Alturas, 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 Alturas.
Power comes from Pacific Power
Pacific Power (PacifiCorp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Alturas. Its homes paid an average of 24.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $200 a month (its average across California).
Start or move service: pacificorp.com · (888) 221-7070
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Alturas water system
The City of Alturas water system supplies almost all of Alturas. It draws ground water and serves 2,715 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. 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 0.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 0.9 ppb. That’s lower than 54% 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. CA2510001.
4 home internet providers serve Alturas
94% of 1,402 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 76% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 93% | 1,000/50 |
| Frontier | Fiber, DSL | 76% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Tnet Broadband Internet | Fixed wireless | 100% | 70/40 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 78% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Alturas’ trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Alturas.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Alturas is in Modoc Joint Unified School District.
C+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 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Alturas is in ZIP code 96101
ZIP codes where Alturas residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Alturas | ZIP’s residents in Alturas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 96101 | Alturas, CA | 100% | 52% |
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 Alturas
Who supplies Alturas’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Alturas water system (EPA ID CA2510001). 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). 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.8 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Alturas?
Pacific Power (PacifiCorp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 24.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Alturas?
Spectrum, Frontier, Tnet Broadband Internet, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Alturas?
96101. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Alturas in?
Modoc Joint Unified School District.
How do I register to vote in Alturas?
In California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Modoc County Clerk-Elections. Check your registration at voterstatus.sos.ca.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.