Buhach Grammar School · Photo: Saeidb · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in McSwain, CA: what to set up and who to call
McSwain has no town government of its own, so Merced County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Merced Union High School District. The Cal Am - Meadowbrook water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 6.0 ppb, was higher than 94% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15).
I’m new in town
What to set up in McSwain, 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 McSwain.
Power comes from Merced Irrigation District
Merced Irrigation District (Merced Irrigation District), a political subdivision utility, serves 93.5% of McSwain residents. 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 Cal Am - Meadowbrook water system
The Cal Am - Meadowbrook water system supplies McSwain: about 8% of residents live in its service area. About 92% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 5,656 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 6.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 94% 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. CA2410008.
7 home internet providers serve McSwain
99% of 1,498 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 5% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable | 95% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL, Fiber | 66% | 100/20 |
| Cal.net | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| unWired Broadband | Fixed wireless | 100% | 400/50 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 76% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 59% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 5 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in McSwain.
Recycling Center
5536 West Walnut Avenue, Winton, 95388
This isn’t McSwain’s own facility. Whether McSwain residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
McSwain is in two districts that split the grades: Merced Union High School District and McSwain Union Elementary School District.
B−School gradeSee 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
McSwain 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.
McSwain spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where McSwain residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of McSwain | ZIP’s residents in McSwain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95301 | Atwater, CA | 98% | 11% |
| 95341 | Merced, CA | 2% | 0% |
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 McSwain
Who supplies McSwain’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Cal Am - Meadowbrook water system (EPA ID CA2410008). 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 6.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in McSwain?
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 McSwain?
Xfinity, AT&T, Cal.net, unWired Broadband, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in McSwain?
95301 (98%), 95341 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is McSwain in?
Merced Union High School District and McSwain Union Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in McSwain?
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.