Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5Living in Ontonagon, MI: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in most of Ontonagon comes from the Ontonagon water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. For an emergency, Up Health System Portage is the closest ER, 39.2 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ontonagon, 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 Ontonagon.
Power comes from Upper Michigan Energy Resources
Upper Michigan Energy Resources (Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Ontonagon. Its homes paid an average of 17.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $101 a month (its average across Michigan).
Start or move service: www.uppco.com · (800) 562-7680
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Ontonagon water system
The Ontonagon water system supplies Ontonagon: about 62% of residents live in its service area. About 38% 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 2,607 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.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2023, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. MI0005030.
4 home internet providers serve Ontonagon
98% of 895 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 91% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamadots Internet | DSL, Fiber | 100% | 500/50 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 90% | 1,000/35 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 85% | 100/20 |
| Board of Trustees, Northern Michigan University | Fixed wireless | 10% | 25/5 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Ontonagon’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Ontonagon.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Ontonagon is in Ontonagon Area Schools.
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.
Ontonagon is in ZIP code 49953
ZIP codes where Ontonagon residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ontonagon | ZIP’s residents in Ontonagon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49953 | Ontonagon, MI | 100% | 51% |
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 Ontonagon
Who supplies Ontonagon’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Ontonagon water system (EPA ID MI0005030). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ontonagon?
Upper Michigan Energy Resources (Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Ontonagon?
Jamadots Internet, Spectrum, T-Mobile, Board of Trustees, Northern Michigan University (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Ontonagon?
49953. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ontonagon in?
Ontonagon Area Schools.
How do I register to vote in Ontonagon?
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 Ontonagon 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.