Living in Portage Township, MI: what to set up and who to call
The Houghton water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 5.5 ppb, was higher than 93% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). New voters sign up with the Portage Township Clerk, which runs Portage Township’s elections.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Portage 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 Portage Township.
Power comes from Upper Michigan Energy Resources
Upper Michigan Energy Resources (Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Portage Township. 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 Houghton water system
The Houghton water system supplies Portage Township: about 20% of residents live in its service area. Portage Township serves another 12%. About 64% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 8,386 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 5.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 9.4 ppb. That’s higher than 93% 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. MI0003230.
7 home internet providers serve Portage Township
89% of 1,525 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 52% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baraga Telephone Company | Fiber, DSL | 57% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 53% | 1,000/35 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL | 25% | 100/20 |
| Bug Tussel | Fixed wireless | 74% | 10/1 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 20% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 7% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 4 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Portage Township.
Houghton County Solid Waste Transfer Station
17808 Erickson Drive, Houghton, MI, 49931 · run by Houghton County
This isn’t Portage Township’s own facility. Whether Portage Township residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Portage Township (81%) is in Houghton-Portage Township Schools; parts are in Baraga Area Schools (19%).
A+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 Nov 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Portage Township spans 5 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Portage Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Portage Township | ZIP’s residents in Portage Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49931 | Houghton, MI | 43% | 13% |
| 49916 | Chassell, MI | 31% | 34% |
| 49958 | Pelkie, MI | 11% | 32% |
| 49921 | Dodgeville, MI | 11% | 100% |
| 49905 | Atlantic Mine, MI | 4% | 5% |
A few homes fall in 49963. 49081 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP with no homes.
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 Portage Township
Who supplies Portage Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Houghton water system (EPA ID MI0003230). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 5.5 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Portage Township?
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 Portage Township?
Baraga Telephone Company, Spectrum, AT&T, Bug Tussel, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Portage Township?
49931 (43%), 49916 (31%), 49958 (11%), 49921 (11%), 49905 (4%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Portage Township in?
Houghton-Portage Township Schools. Parts of the city are in Baraga Area Schools.
How do I register to vote in Portage 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 Portage 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.