Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Badger

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
The Badger handbook

Living in Badger, IA: what to set up and who to call

Tap water in most of Badger comes from Badger Water Supply, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result of 1.0 ppb. Trinity Regional Medical Center, 8.8 miles away, is the nearest emergency room.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Badger, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Badger.

Electricity

Power comes from MidAmerican Energy

MidAmerican Energy (MidAmerican Energy Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Badger. Its homes paid an average of 11.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $93 a month (its average across Iowa).

Start or move service: midamericanenergy.com · (888) 427-5632

Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from Badger Water Supply

Badger Water Supply supplies Badger: about 67% of residents live in its service area. About 33% 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 561 people in all.

No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people.

Lead, 90th percentile1.0 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 3.0 ppb. That’s lower than 51% 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. IA9405082.

Internet

4 home internet providers serve Badger

100% of 257 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone AssociationFiber100%1,000/1,000
VerizonFixed wireless85%300/20
NextlinkFixed wireless57%500/100
Northwest CommunicationsFixed wireless14%25/5

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Badger’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Badger.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileOpenStreetMap lists no public drop-off in Badger or within 5 miles (as of Oct 9, 2026); map coverage varies by town.
Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Badger kids go to
PK–KEarly Childhood Centerin Fort Dodge
1–54 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–8Fort Dodge Middle Schoolin Fort Dodge
9–12Fort Dodge High Schoolin Fort Dodge

Badger is in Fort Dodge Community School District.

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.

Government & voting

Town hall and registering to vote

Who to call, and how to register.

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

ZIP codes & area codes

Badger is in ZIP code 50516

ZIP codes where Badger residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of BadgerZIP’s residents in Badger
50516Badger, IA100%76%
Area code515Wikidata

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

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 Badger

Who supplies Badger’s drinking water, and has it had violations?

Badger Water Supply (EPA ID IA9405082). 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 1.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Badger?

MidAmerican Energy (MidAmerican Energy Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 11.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Badger?

Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association, Verizon, Nextlink, Northwest Communications (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Badger?

50516. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Badger in?

Fort Dodge Community School District.

How do I register to vote in Badger?

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 Webster 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.