Kellow House · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Cresco, IA: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Cresco comes from Cresco Waterworks, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 20% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result of 1.0 ppb. For home internet, most of Cresco can choose between Mediacom Xtream and Kinetic.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cresco, 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 Cresco.
Power comes from Interstate Power and Light
Interstate Power and Light (Interstate Power and Light Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Cresco. 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.
Water comes from Cresco Waterworks
Cresco Waterworks supplies Cresco: about 96% of residents live in its service area. About 4% 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 3,913 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 57% 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. IA4515087.
7 home internet providers serve Cresco
100% of 1,842 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 70% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable | 99% | 1,000/50 |
| Kinetic | Fixed wireless, Fiber, DSL | 94% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Harmony Telephone Company | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 26% | 50/10 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 100% | 150/130 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 80% | 100/20 |
| Nextlink | Fixed wireless | 31% | 500/100 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Cresco is any weekday, depending on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Cresco, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s day (any weekday)The town’s pickup map
- RecyclingEvery other week, same day as trashCheck which week on cityofcresco.com →
From cityofcresco.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-01-13T15:53:45+00:00, 2026-10-13, 2026-10-13T18:03:43+00:00. 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.
Cresco is in Howard-Winneshiek Community School District.
B+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 Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Cresco is in ZIP code 52136
ZIP codes where Cresco residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cresco | ZIP’s residents in Cresco |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52136 | Cresco, IA | 100% | 65% |
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 Cresco
Who supplies Cresco’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Cresco Waterworks (EPA ID IA4515087). 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 1.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Cresco?
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 Cresco?
Mediacom Xtream, Kinetic, Harmony Telephone Company, GigFire, T-Mobile, Nextlink (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cresco?
52136. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cresco in?
Howard-Winneshiek Community School District.
How do I register to vote in Cresco?
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 Howard 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: Cresco’s own website (cityofcresco.com), 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 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.