Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Salida, CO: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Salida comes from the City of Salida water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 20% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. The closest ER is Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, 4 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Salida, 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 Salida.
Power comes from Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (Public Service Co. of Colorado), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Salida. Its homes paid an average of 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $93 a month (its average across Colorado).
Start or move service: xcelenergy.com · (800) 895-4999
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Salida water system
The City of Salida water system supplies almost all of Salida. It draws surface water and serves 5,666 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–Dec 2025, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 20.0 ppb. 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. CO0108700.
6 home internet providers serve Salida
99% of 3,066 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 46% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visionary Broadband | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/50 |
| Hilltop Broadband | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 92% | 50/15 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 80% | 40/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 68% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 3% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Salida’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Salida.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Salida is in Salida School District R-32.
ASchool 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 Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Salida is in ZIP code 81201
ZIP codes where Salida residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Salida | ZIP’s residents in Salida |
|---|---|---|---|
| 81201 | Salida, CO | 100% | 62% |
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 Salida
Who supplies Salida’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Salida water system (EPA ID CO0108700). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Salida?
Xcel Energy (Public Service Co. of Colorado), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Salida?
Visionary Broadband, Spectrum, Hilltop Broadband, CenturyLink, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Salida?
81201. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Salida in?
Salida School District R-32.
How do I register to vote in Salida?
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 Chaffee 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.