Photo: 4300streetcar · CC BY 4.0Living in Somerville, MA: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2019 is still open for Somerville Water Dept. (Mwra). Voting is local here: the Somerville Election Commission registers voters and runs elections, not the county.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Somerville, 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 Somerville.
Power comes from Eversource
Eversource (NSTAR Electric Co., doing business as Eversource), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Somerville. 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 Somerville Water Dept. (Mwra)
Somerville Water Dept. (Mwra) supplies almost all of Somerville. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Mwra as seller) and serves 81,045 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 90% of the 597 systems serving 50,001–100,000 people. 1 older violation is still open, since 2019: 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 3.9 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 12.9 ppb. That’s higher than 88% 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. MA3274000.
7 home internet providers serve Somerville
100% of 12,885 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 4% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Astound Broadband | Cable, Fiber | 99% | 1,500/50 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 57% | 1,000/75 |
| Starry | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 12% | 300/100 |
| Netafy | Fixed wireless | 91% | 641/143 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 74% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Somerville depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Somerville, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayFind your street’s day on somervillema.gov →
- RecyclingEvery week, same day as trash
- Bulky itemsEvery week
DPW Yard (Electronic Waste drop-off and yard waste drop-off)
1 Franey Road, Somerville, MA 02145
- Mon8:30 am–noon, 1 pm–3:30 pm
- Tue8:30 am–noon, 1 pm–3:30 pm
- Wed8:30 am–noon, 1 pm–3:30 pm
- Thu8:30 am–noon, 1 pm–3:30 pm
- Fri8:30 am–noon, 1 pm–3:30 pm
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
- Aluminum cans
- Aluminum foil
- Boxboard and paperboard
- Cardboard (corrugated)
- Envelopes and opened mail
- Egg cartons (except foam)
- Magazines
- Newspapers
From somervillema.gov, s3.amazonaws.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026, 2026-10-22. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Somerville is in Somerville School District.
CSchool 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.
Somerville spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Somerville residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Somerville | ZIP’s residents in Somerville |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02145 | Somerville, MA | 34% | 100% |
| 02143 | Somerville, MA | 32% | 100% |
| 02144 | Somerville, MA | 31% | 100% |
| 02155 | Medford, MA | 2% | 3% |
A few homes fall in 02138, 02140.
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 Somerville
Who supplies Somerville’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Somerville Water Dept. (Mwra) (EPA ID MA3274000). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 90% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.9 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Somerville?
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 Somerville?
Xfinity, Astound Broadband, Verizon, Starry, Netafy, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Somerville?
02145 (34%), 02143 (32%), 02144 (31%), 02155 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Somerville in?
Somerville School District.
How do I register to vote in Somerville?
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 Somerville Election Commission. 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: Somerville’s own website (somervillema.gov, s3.amazonaws.com), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- 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.