Living in Ashland, LA: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2025 is still open for Chestnut-Readhimer Water System, which supplies Ashland. Power in Ashland comes from Southwest Louisiana E M C, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ashland, 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 Ashland.
Power comes from Southwest Louisiana E M C
Southwest Louisiana E M C (Southwest Louisiana E M C), a cooperative utility, serves all of Ashland. Its homes paid an average of 11.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $162 a month (its average across Louisiana).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Chestnut-Readhimer Water System
Chestnut-Readhimer Water System supplies Ashland: about 50% of residents live in its service area. About 50% 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 564 people in all.
10 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule) ×7, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule) ×2, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), the latest beginning Apr 2025. 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people had none. 7 older violations are still open, since 2025: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 2.0 ppb. 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. LA1069012.
Which providers serve Ashland
This card will list the home internet providers the FCC’s National Broadband Map shows in Ashland, 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 Ashland’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Ashland.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Ashland is in Natchitoches Parish 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 Aug 2015; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ashland spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Ashland residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ashland | ZIP’s residents in Ashland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71002 | Ashland, LA | 96% | 96% |
| 71070 | Saline, LA | 4% | 1% |
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 Ashland
Who supplies Ashland’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Chestnut-Readhimer Water System (EPA ID LA1069012). It reported 10 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule) ×7, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule) ×2, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ashland?
Southwest Louisiana E M C (Southwest Louisiana E M C), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 11.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What ZIP codes are in Ashland?
71002 (96%), 71070 (4%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ashland in?
Natchitoches Parish School District.
How do I register to vote in Ashland?
In Louisiana you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Natchitoches Parish Registrar of Voters. Check your registration at voterportal.sos.la.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 Aug 3, 2026 (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.