James V. and Sophia Baker House · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Cottonwood, ID: what to set up and who to call
Cottonwood Water Dept reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule), beginning Nov 2025. Grangeville Centennial, 13.9 miles away, is the closest library to Cottonwood.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cottonwood, 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 Cottonwood.
Power comes from Avista
Avista (Avista Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Cottonwood. Its homes paid an average of 11.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $107 a month (its average across Idaho).
Start or move service: avistacorp.com · (509) 489-0500
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Cottonwood Water Dept
Cottonwood Water Dept supplies Cottonwood: about 93% of residents live in its service area. About 7% 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 977 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule), beginning Nov 2025. 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 51% 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. ID2250013.
4 home internet providers serve Cottonwood
59% of 467 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyLink | DSL | 81% | 10/1 |
| Airbridge Broadband | Fixed wireless | 100% | 400/400 |
| First Step Internet | Fixed wireless | 85% | 25/4 |
| Inland Cellular | Fixed wireless | 54% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Cottonwood’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Cottonwood.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Cottonwood is in Cottonwood Joint School District 242.
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 Aug 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Cottonwood is in ZIP code 83522
ZIP codes where Cottonwood residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cottonwood | ZIP’s residents in Cottonwood |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83522 | Cottonwood, ID | 100% | 38% |
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 Cottonwood
Who supplies Cottonwood’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Cottonwood Water Dept (EPA ID ID2250013). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule). 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Cottonwood?
Avista (Avista Corp.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 11.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Cottonwood?
CenturyLink, Airbridge Broadband, First Step Internet, Inland Cellular (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cottonwood?
83522. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cottonwood in?
Cottonwood Joint School District 242.
How do I register to vote in Cottonwood?
In Idaho you can register online until 11 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 11 days before). Elections here are run by the Idaho County Clerk. Check your registration at elections.sos.idaho.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 Sep 12, 2025 (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.