Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Living in Chester, MA: what to set up and who to call
Chester Water Dept reported 4 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×2, a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), disinfection byproducts (TTHM). 78% of systems its size reported none. New voters sign up with the Chester Town Clerk, which runs Chester’s elections.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Chester, 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 Chester.
Power comes from Eversource
Eversource (NSTAR Electric Co., doing business as Eversource), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Chester. Its homes paid an average of 21.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $102 a month (its average across Massachusetts, for customers on its standard service). Massachusetts lets you buy power from another supplier; 76% of Eversource’s home customers do, and Eversource still delivers it.
Start or move service: nstar.com · (800) 592-2000
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Chester Water Dept
Chester Water Dept supplies Chester: about 53% of residents live in its service area. About 47% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water and serves 750 people in all.
4 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×2, a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), disinfection byproducts (TTHM), the latest beginning Jul 2024. 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 2018–Dec 2020, was 4.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. It’s from 2020: EPA has no newer result for this system.
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. MA1059000.
3 home internet providers serve Chester
95% of 644 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 95% | 1,200/35 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 5% | 25/3 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 4% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Chester’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Chester.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Chester is in Gateway School District.
C−School gradeSee 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 Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Chester spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Chester residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Chester | ZIP’s residents in Chester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01011 | Chester, MA | 85% | 87% |
| 01050 | Huntington, MA | 14% | 7% |
A few homes fall in 01223.
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 Chester
Who supplies Chester’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Chester Water Dept (EPA ID MA1059000). It reported 4 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×2, a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), disinfection byproducts (TTHM). 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 4.7 ppb (Jan 2018–Dec 2020), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Chester?
Eversource (NSTAR Electric Co., doing business as Eversource), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 21.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Chester?
Xfinity, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Chester?
01011 (85%), 01050 (14%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Chester in?
Gateway School District.
How do I register to vote in Chester?
In Massachusetts you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before). Elections here are run by the Chester Town Clerk. Check your registration at sec.state.ma.us.
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.