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Wilder HouseWilder House · Photo: Jonathan Fricker · Public domain
The Chatham handbook

Living in Chatham, LA: what to set up and who to call

Village of Chatham Water System reported 8 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule) ×6, disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×2. 78% of systems its size reported none. Power in Chatham comes from Claiborne Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Chatham, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Chatham.

Electricity

Power comes from Claiborne Electric Coop

Claiborne Electric Coop (Claiborne Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Chatham. Its homes paid an average of 13.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $153 a month (its average across Louisiana).

Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from Village of Chatham Water System

Village of Chatham Water System supplies almost all of Chatham. It draws ground water and serves 1,557 people in all.

8 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule) ×6, disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×2, the latest beginning Jan 2026. 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people had none.

Lead, 90th percentile1.0 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 7.0 ppb. That’s lower than 52% 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. LA1049004.

Internet

4 home internet providers serve Chatham

77% of 298 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
BrightspeedDSL70%100/10
AT&TFixed wireless79%25/3
T-MobileFixed wireless75%100/20
VerizonFixed wireless64%300/20

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Chatham’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Chatham.

Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Chatham kids go to
PK–123 schoolsDepends on your address

Chatham is in Jackson 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.

Government & voting

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.

ZIP codes & area codes

Chatham is in ZIP code 71226

ZIP codes where Chatham residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of ChathamZIP’s residents in Chatham
71226Chatham, LA100%33%
Area code318Wikidata

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

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 Chatham

Who supplies Chatham’s drinking water, and has it had violations?

Village of Chatham Water System (EPA ID LA1049004). It reported 8 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule) ×6, disinfection byproducts (TTHM) ×2. 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Chatham?

Claiborne Electric Coop (Claiborne Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 13.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Chatham?

Brightspeed, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Chatham?

71226. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Chatham in?

Jackson Parish School District.

How do I register to vote in Chatham?

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 Jackson 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 National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.