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The Oto handbook

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

Every home in Oto is in ZIP code 51044. For an emergency, Burgess Health Center is the closest ER, 20.8 miles away.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Oto, 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 Oto.

Electricity

Power comes from MidAmerican Energy

MidAmerican Energy (MidAmerican Energy Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Oto. 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 Oto Water Supply

Oto Water Supply supplies almost all of Oto. It draws ground water and serves 72 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 percentile2.2 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 2.2 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 2.8 ppb. That’s higher than 76% 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. IA9758023.

Internet

4 home internet providers serve Oto

100% of 64 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
Western Iowa Telephone AssociationFiber100%1,000/1,000
VerizonFixed wireless34%300/20
NextlinkFixed wireless8%800/400
T-MobileFixed wireless5%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 Oto’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Oto.

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

Oto kids go to
PK–52 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–8MVAO Middle Schoolin Anthon
9–12Maple Valley-Anthon Oto High Schoolin Mapleton

Oto is in Maple Valley-Anthon Oto 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

Oto is in ZIP code 51044

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

ZIPPost office nameShare of OtoZIP’s residents in Oto
51044Oto, IA100%34%

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 Oto

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

Oto Water Supply (EPA ID IA9758023). 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 2.2 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Oto?

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

What internet providers serve Oto?

Western Iowa Telephone Association, Verizon, Nextlink, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Oto?

51044. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Oto in?

Maple Valley-Anthon Oto Community School District.

How do I register to vote in Oto?

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 Woodbury 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.