Living in Alta, IA: what to set up and who to call
Alta runs its own electric utility, City of Alta. Tap water in Alta comes from Alta Municipal Water Plant, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Alta, 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 Alta.
Power comes from City of Alta
City of Alta (City of Alta - (IA)), a municipal utility, serves all of Alta.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Alta Municipal Water Plant
Alta Municipal Water Plant supplies almost all of Alta. It draws ground water and serves 2,087 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 0.3 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. IA1108025.
8 home internet providers serve Alta
100% of 854 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 9% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/50 |
| Altatec | Cable | 88% | 300/10 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 84% | 60/5 |
| Evertek | Fixed wireless | 100% | 50/5 |
| Northwest Communications | Fixed wireless | 96% | 100/20 |
| Nextlink | Fixed wireless | 32% | 400/100 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Alta’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Alta.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Alta is in Alta-Aurelia Community 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 Aug 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Alta is in ZIP code 51002
ZIP codes where Alta residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Alta | ZIP’s residents in Alta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51002 | Alta, IA | 100% | 72% |
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 Alta
Who supplies Alta’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Alta Municipal Water Plant (EPA ID IA1108025). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Alta?
City of Alta (City of Alta - (IA)), a municipal utility.
What internet providers serve Alta?
Mediacom Xtream, Altatec, CenturyLink, Evertek, Northwest Communications, Nextlink (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Alta?
51002. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Alta in?
Alta-Aurelia Community School District.
How do I register to vote in Alta?
In Iowa 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 Buena Vista County Auditor. Check your registration at sos.iowa.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.