Living in Houston Township, KS: what to set up and who to call
The City of Gaylord water system reported 2 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×2. 78% of systems its size reported none. Power in Houston Township comes from Prairie Land Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Houston Township, 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 Houston Township.
Power comes from Prairie Land Electric Coop
Prairie Land Electric Coop (Prairie Land Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Houston Township. Its homes paid an average of 14.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $124 a month (its average across Kansas).
Start or move service: prairielandelectric.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Gaylord water system
The City of Gaylord water system supplies Houston Township: about 63% of residents live in its service area. Smith Co RWD 1 serves another 16%. Osborne Co RWD 1a serves another 12%. About 11% 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 83 people in all.
2 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×2, the latest beginning Jul 2023. 78% of the 11,392 systems serving <=100 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 2.2 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 38.5 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. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. KS2018301.
1 home internet providers serve Houston Township
100% of 107 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nex-Tech | Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Houston Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Houston Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Houston Township (94%) is in Smith Center Unified School District 237; parts are in Osborne County Unified School District 392 (6%).
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 Sep 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Houston Township is in ZIP code 67638
ZIP codes where Houston Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Houston Township | ZIP’s residents in Houston Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 67638 | Gaylord, KS | 100% | 67% |
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 Houston Township
Who supplies Houston Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Gaylord water system (EPA ID KS2018301). It reported 2 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×2. 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.2 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Houston Township?
Prairie Land Electric Coop (Prairie Land Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 14.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Houston Township?
Nex-Tech (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Houston Township?
67638. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Houston Township in?
Smith Center Unified School District 237. Parts of the city are in Osborne County Unified School District 392.
How do I register to vote in Houston Township?
In Kansas you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Smith County Clerk. Check your registration at myvoteinfo.voteks.org.
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.