Living in Blue Lake, CA: what to set up and who to call
Two school districts split the grades in Blue Lake: Northern Humboldt Union High School District and Blue Lake Union Elementary School District. Optimum is the only wired internet provider that reaches most of Blue Lake.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Blue 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 Blue Lake.
Power comes from PG&E
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Blue Lake. Its homes paid an average of 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $174 a month (its average across California, for customers on its standard service). California lets you buy power from another supplier; 66% of PG&E’s home customers do, and PG&E still delivers it.
Start or move service: pgecorp.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Blue Lake water system
The City of Blue Lake water system supplies Blue Lake: about 50% of residents live in its service area. About 50% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated ground water (EPA lists Humboldt Bay Mwd as seller) and serves 1,172 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 2.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 78% 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. CA1210002.
4 home internet providers serve Blue Lake
100% of 476 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimum | Cable | 93% | 940/35 |
| 101Netlink | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 83% | 25/3 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 23% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Blue Lake Garbage Company picks up trash in Blue Lake
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Blue Lake, from the town’s own site.
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check bluelake.ca.gov →
From bluelake.ca.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 22, 2026; pages dated 2026-07-07, 2026-09-08. 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.
Blue Lake is in two districts that split the grades: Northern Humboldt Union High School District and Blue Lake Union Elementary 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 Jul 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Blue Lake is in ZIP code 95525
ZIP codes where Blue Lake residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Blue Lake | ZIP’s residents in Blue Lake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95525 | Blue Lake, CA | 100% | 71% |
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 Blue Lake
Who supplies Blue Lake’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Blue Lake water system (EPA ID CA1210002). 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 2.5 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Blue Lake?
PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 37.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Blue Lake?
Optimum, 101Netlink, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Blue Lake?
95525. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Blue Lake in?
Northern Humboldt Union High School District and Blue Lake Union Elementary School District. Parts of the city are in Arcata Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in Blue Lake?
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 Humboldt County Office of 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: Blue Lake’s own website (bluelake.ca.gov), read Oct 22, 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 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.