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Orchard IowaPhoto: Billwhittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Orchard handbook

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

Orchard Water Works has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 8.0 ppb, was higher than 95% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). For emergencies, Orchard is closest to Floyd County Medical Center, 13 miles away.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Orchard, 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 Orchard.

Electricity

Power comes from Interstate Power and Light

Interstate Power and Light (Interstate Power and Light Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Orchard. 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 Orchard Water Works

Orchard Water Works supplies almost all of Orchard. It draws ground water and serves 68 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 percentile8.0 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 8.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 95% 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. IA6668001.

Internet

Which providers serve Orchard

Data pending · D4

This card will list the home internet providers the FCC’s National Broadband Map shows in Orchard, the share of addresses that can get 100/20 Mbps and the share with fiber, with the map’s “as of” date.

Source to come: FCC Broadband Data Collection.

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Orchard’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Orchard.

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

Orchard kids go to
PK–4Lincoln Elementary Schoolin Osage
5–8Osage Middle Schoolin Osage
9–12Osage High Schoolin Osage

Orchard is in Osage 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 Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

ZIP codes & area codes

Orchard is in ZIP code 50460

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

ZIPPost office nameShare of OrchardZIP’s residents in Orchard
50460Orchard, IA100%20%

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 Orchard

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

Orchard Water Works (EPA ID IA6668001). 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 8.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Orchard?

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 ZIP codes are in Orchard?

50460. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Orchard in?

Osage Community School District.

How do I register to vote in Orchard?

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 Mitchell 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): pending.