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The Centralia handbook

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

Every home in Centralia is in ZIP code 52068. The nearest library is Dubuque County Library, 4.9 miles away.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Centralia, 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 Centralia.

Electricity

Power comes from Interstate Power and Light

Interstate Power and Light (Interstate Power and Light Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Centralia. Its homes paid an average of 17.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $131 a month (its average across Iowa).

Start or move service: alliantenergy.com · (319) 786-4411

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 Country Hills Water Corp

Country Hills Water Corp supplies Centralia: about 72% of residents live in its service area. About 28% 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 38 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.

Lead, 90th percentile5.0 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 5.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 89% 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. IA3122301.

Internet

6 home internet providers serve Centralia

91% of 51 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 91% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Maquoketa Valley Electric CooperativeFiber90%1,000/1,000
CenturyLinkDSL6%80/10
Comelec Internet ServicesFixed wireless86%50/15
T-MobileFixed wireless57%25/3
VerizonFixed wireless49%300/20
NextlinkFixed wireless43%100/20

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

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Centralia’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Centralia.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileOpenStreetMap lists no public drop-off in Centralia 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.

Centralia kids go to
PK–55 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–122 schoolsDepends on your address

Most of Centralia (90%) is in Western Dubuque County Community School District; parts are in Dubuque Community School District (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.

Government & voting

Town hall and registering to vote

Who to call, and how to register.

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2026; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

ZIP codes & area codes

Centralia is in ZIP code 52068

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

ZIPPost office nameShare of CentraliaZIP’s residents in Centralia
52068Peosta, IA100%2%

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 Centralia

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

Country Hills Water Corp (EPA ID IA3122301). 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 5.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Centralia?

Interstate Power and Light (Interstate Power and Light Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Centralia?

Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative, CenturyLink, Comelec Internet Services, T-Mobile, Verizon, Nextlink (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Centralia?

52068. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Centralia in?

Western Dubuque County Community School District. Parts of the city are in Dubuque Community School District.

How do I register to vote in Centralia?

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 Dubuque 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.