Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Living in Bessemer Township, MI: what to set up and who to call
The Bessemer Township water system reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. Power in Bessemer Township comes from Bayfield Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Bessemer Township, 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 Bessemer Township.
Power comes from Bayfield Electric Coop
Bayfield Electric Coop (Bayfield Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Bessemer Township.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Bessemer Township water system
The Bessemer Township water system supplies Bessemer Township: about 21% of residents live in its service area. About 77% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated ground water (EPA lists Gogebic Range Water Auth as seller) and serves 551 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 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–Dec 2022, was 2.9 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 10.0 ppb. That’s higher than 81% 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. MI0005600.
6 home internet providers serve Bessemer Township
68% of 921 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable | 61% | 1,000/1,000 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL | 7% | 25/3 |
| Michigan Broadband Service | DSL | 4% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 37% | 100/20 |
| Bug Tussel | Fixed wireless | 16% | 25/5 |
| Board of Trustees, Northern Michigan University | Fixed wireless | 9% | 25/5 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Bessemer Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Bessemer Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Bessemer Township is in Bessemer Area School District.
BSchool 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 Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Bessemer Township spans 4 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Bessemer Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Bessemer Township | ZIP’s residents in Bessemer Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49911 | Bessemer, MI | 54% | 24% |
| 49959 | Ramsay, MI | 38% | 100% |
| 49968 | Wakefield, MI | 6% | 3% |
| 49938 | Ironwood, MI | 2% | 0% |
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 Bessemer Township
Who supplies Bessemer Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Bessemer Township water system (EPA ID MI0005600). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.9 ppb (Jan–Dec 2022), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Bessemer Township?
Bayfield Electric Coop (Bayfield Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Bessemer Township?
Spectrum, AT&T, Michigan Broadband Service, T-Mobile, Bug Tussel, Board of Trustees, Northern Michigan University (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Bessemer Township?
49911 (54%), 49959 (38%), 49968 (6%), 49938 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Bessemer Township in?
Bessemer Area School District.
How do I register to vote in Bessemer Township?
In Michigan you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Bessemer Township Clerk. Check your registration at mvic.sos.state.mi.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 Sep 12, 2025 (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.