Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0Living in Blende, CO: what to set up and who to call
Blende has no town government of its own, so Pueblo County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Pueblo County School District 70. Parkview Medical Center, 4 miles away, is the nearest emergency room.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Blende, 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 Blende.
Power comes from Black Hills Colorado Electric
Black Hills Colorado Electric (Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Blende. Its homes paid an average of 18.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $95 a month (its average across Colorado).
Start or move service: blackhillsenergy.com · (800) 694-8989
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from St Charles Mesa WD water system
The St Charles Mesa WD water system supplies almost all of Blende. It draws surface water and serves 9,690 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 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 67% 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. CO0151750.
8 home internet providers serve Blende
100% of 434 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 1% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SECOM | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 100% | 300/50 |
| Xfinity | Cable | 99% | 1,200/35 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 20% | 60/5 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 79% | 300/20 |
| Rise Broadband | Fixed wireless | 77% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 41% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Blende’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Blende.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Blende (90%) is in Pueblo County School District 70; parts are in Pueblo City School District 60 (10%).
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
Blende is unincorporated, so Pueblo County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Blende is in ZIP code 81006
ZIP codes where Blende residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Blende | ZIP’s residents in Blende |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81006 | Pueblo, CO | 100% | 7% |
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 Blende
Who supplies Blende’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The St Charles Mesa WD water system (EPA ID CO0151750). 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 2.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Blende?
Black Hills Colorado Electric (Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 18.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Blende?
SECOM, Xfinity, CenturyLink, Verizon, Rise Broadband, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Blende?
81006. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Blende in?
Pueblo County School District 70. Parts of the city are in Pueblo City School District 60.
How do I register to vote in Blende?
In Colorado you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 8 days before). Elections here are run by the Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder. Check your registration at sos.state.co.us.
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.