Photo: Brandonrush · Public domainLiving in Ottosen, IA: what to set up and who to call
Ottosen Water Supply has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 12.0 ppb, was higher than 97% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). For emergencies, Ottosen is closest to Humboldt County Memorial Hospital, 13.5 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ottosen, 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 Ottosen.
Power comes from MidAmerican Energy
MidAmerican Energy (MidAmerican Energy Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Ottosen. 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.
Water comes from Ottosen Water Supply
Ottosen Water Supply supplies Ottosen: about 75% of residents live in its service area. About 25% 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 41 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.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 12.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 97% 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. IA4652011.
Which providers serve Ottosen
This card will list the home internet providers the FCC’s National Broadband Map shows in Ottosen, 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.
We don’t have Ottosen’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Ottosen.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Ottosen is in Twin Rivers 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.
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.
Ottosen is in ZIP code 50570
ZIP codes where Ottosen residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ottosen | ZIP’s residents in Ottosen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50570 | Ottosen, IA | 100% | 17% |
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 Ottosen
Who supplies Ottosen’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Ottosen Water Supply (EPA ID IA4652011). 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 12.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ottosen?
MidAmerican Energy (MidAmerican Energy Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 11.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What ZIP codes are in Ottosen?
50570. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ottosen in?
Twin Rivers Community School District.
How do I register to vote in Ottosen?
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 Humboldt 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.