Living in Bear Creek, CA: what to set up and who to call
Bear Creek has no town government of its own, so Merced County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Merced City Elementary School District. Power in Bear Creek comes from Merced Irrigation District, a political subdivision utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Bear Creek, 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 Bear Creek.
Power comes from Merced Irrigation District
Merced Irrigation District (Merced Irrigation District), a political subdivision utility, serves all of Bear Creek. Its homes paid an average of 24.1¢ per kWh in 2025, about $144 a month (its average across California).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Merced water system
The City of Merced water system supplies almost all of Bear Creek. It draws ground water and serves 93,692 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. CA2410009.
5 home internet providers serve Bear Creek
100% of 74 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 100% | 1,200/35 |
| Cal.net | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 100% | 300/20 |
| unWired Broadband | Fixed wireless | 100% | 400/50 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 88% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Bear Creek’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Bear Creek.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Bear Creek is in two districts that split the grades: Merced City Elementary School District and Merced Union High 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
Bear Creek is unincorporated, so Merced County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Bear Creek is in ZIP code 95340
ZIP codes where Bear Creek residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Bear Creek | ZIP’s residents in Bear Creek |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95340 | Merced, CA | 100% | 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 Bear Creek
Who supplies Bear Creek’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Merced water system (EPA ID CA2410009). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Bear Creek?
Merced Irrigation District (Merced Irrigation District), a political subdivision utility. Its homes paid about 24.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Bear Creek?
Xfinity, Cal.net, Verizon, unWired Broadband, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Bear Creek?
95340. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Bear Creek in?
Merced City Elementary School District and Merced Union High School District.
How do I register to vote in Bear Creek?
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 Merced County Registrar of Voters - 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.