Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 4.0Living in Columbia, CT: what to set up and who to call
The Hop River Homes water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 6.0 ppb, was higher than 92% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). There is no curbside pickup in Columbia: residents take trash to Town of Columbia Transfer Station.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Columbia, 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 Columbia.
Power comes from Eversource
Eversource (Connecticut Light & Power Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Columbia. Its homes paid an average of 28.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $195 a month (its average across Connecticut, for customers on its standard service). Connecticut lets you buy power from another supplier; 17% of Eversource’s home customers do, and Eversource still delivers it.
Start or move service: cl-p.com · (800) 286-2000
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Hop River Homes water system
The Hop River Homes water system supplies Columbia: about 22% of residents live in its service area. Ctwc - Columbia Heights Div. serves another 14%. About 59% 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 26 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 11,392 systems serving <=100 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Jun 2026, was 6.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 39.6 ppb. That’s higher than 92% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. CT0012011.
5 home internet providers serve Columbia
99% of 2,308 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 76% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable | 98% | 1,000/35 |
| Frontier | Fiber, DSL | 78% | 7,000/7,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 39% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 13% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 9% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
No curbside pickup in Columbia: trash goes to the transfer station
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Columbia, from the town’s own site.
Town of Columbia Transfer Station
89 Route 6, Columbia, CT 06237
- Wed8 am–4 pm
- Sat8 am–4 pm
Cost: $100 per household for non-seniors and $50 per household for seniors (62 and over), includes 2 stickers, valid about one year; up to 2 additional stickers at $20 each
Accepted at the curb
- All plastics #3 to #7
- Newspapers and inserts
- Magazines/brochures
- Cardboard
- Paper bags
- Junk mail
- Phone books/catalogs
- Hard & soft cover books
- White & color paper
- Envelopes (window ok)
- File folders
- School paper
- Shredded paper
- Multi 3-ply paper
- White, green & brown glass
From columbiact.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated Revised April 2026. 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.
Columbia is in Columbia School District.
C+School 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 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Columbia is in ZIP code 06237
ZIP codes where Columbia residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Columbia | ZIP’s residents in Columbia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06237 | Columbia, CT | 100% | 100% |
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 Columbia
Who supplies Columbia’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Hop River Homes water system (EPA ID CT0012011). 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 6.0 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Columbia?
Eversource (Connecticut Light & Power Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 28.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Columbia?
Spectrum, Frontier, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Columbia?
06237. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Columbia in?
Columbia School District.
How do I register to vote in Columbia?
In Connecticut you can register online until 18 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 18 days before). Elections here are run by the Columbia Town Clerk. Check your registration at portaldir.ct.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: Columbia’s own website (columbiact.gov), read Oct 21, 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 Sep 30, 2026 (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.