Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Cotton Valley, LA: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2020 is still open for Town of Cotton Valley Water System. Power in Cotton Valley 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 Cotton Valley, 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 Cotton Valley.
Power comes from Southwest Louisiana E M C
Southwest Louisiana E M C (Southwest Louisiana E M C), a cooperative utility, serves all of Cotton Valley. 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 Town of Cotton Valley Water System
Town of Cotton Valley Water System supplies almost all of Cotton Valley. It draws ground water and serves 1,380 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people. 4 older violations are still open, since 2020: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2024, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 69% 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. LA1119004.
5 home internet providers serve Cotton Valley
100% of 496 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 99% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conexon Connect | Fiber | 96% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Brightspeed | DSL, Fiber | 78% | 2,000/2,000 |
| Optimum | Fiber, Cable | 45% | 940/940 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 80% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 73% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Cotton Valley’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Cotton Valley.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Cotton Valley is in Webster 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.
Cotton Valley is in ZIP code 71018
ZIP codes where Cotton Valley residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cotton Valley | ZIP’s residents in Cotton Valley |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71018 | Cotton Valley, LA | 100% | 59% |
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 Cotton Valley
Who supplies Cotton Valley’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Town of Cotton Valley Water System (EPA ID LA1119004). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Cotton Valley?
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 internet providers serve Cotton Valley?
Conexon Connect, Brightspeed, Optimum, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cotton Valley?
71018. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cotton Valley in?
Webster Parish School District.
How do I register to vote in Cotton Valley?
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 Webster 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.