Dahlonega School #1 · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Ottumwa, IA: what to set up and who to call
Every home in Ottumwa is in ZIP code 52501. Trains stop in Ottumwa.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ottumwa, 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 Ottumwa.
Power comes from MidAmerican Energy
MidAmerican Energy (MidAmerican Energy Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Ottumwa. 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 Ottumwa Water Works
Ottumwa Water Works supplies almost all of Ottumwa. It draws surface water and serves 25,529 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 0.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.1 ppb. That’s lower than 62% 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. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. IA9083012.
8 home internet providers serve Ottumwa
100% of 10,613 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 54% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/1,000 |
| MCG | Fiber | 48% | 2,000/2,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 17% | 40/3 |
| Rise Broadband | Fixed wireless | 69% | 50/10 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 35% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 26% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Ottumwa depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Ottumwa, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayFind your street’s day on ottumwa.us →
- Bulky itemsCall to book
Ottumwa/Wapello Recycling Center
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Accepted at the curb
- Newspapers
- Catalogues
- Phone books
- Magazines
- Corrugated cardboard and paperboard
- Office paper
- Plastic bottles and jars
- Aluminum and steel cans (including empty aerosol cans)
- Green, brown or clear glass food and beverage containers
From ottumwa.us, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. 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.
Ottumwa is in Ottumwa Community School District.
DSchool 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 Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ottumwa is in ZIP code 52501
ZIP codes where Ottumwa residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ottumwa | ZIP’s residents in Ottumwa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52501 | Ottumwa, IA | 100% | 84% |
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.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Ottumwa
Who supplies Ottumwa’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Ottumwa Water Works (EPA ID IA9083012). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.8 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ottumwa?
MidAmerican Energy (MidAmerican Energy Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 11.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Ottumwa?
Mediacom Xtream, MCG, CenturyLink, Rise Broadband, AT&T, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Ottumwa?
52501. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ottumwa in?
Ottumwa Community School District.
How do I register to vote in Ottumwa?
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 Wapello 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: Ottumwa’s own website (ottumwa.us), 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.