West Jefferson Avenue-Rouge River Bridge · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in River Rouge, MI: what to set up and who to call
The River Rouge water system reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a surface water treatment requirement (Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Jul 2023. Voting is local here: the River Rouge City Clerk registers voters and runs elections, not the county.
I’m new in town
What to set up in River Rouge, 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 River Rouge.
Power comes from DTE
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of River Rouge. Its homes paid an average of 20.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $126 a month (its average across Michigan, for customers on its standard service). Michigan lets you buy power from another supplier; 0% of DTE’s home customers do, and DTE still delivers it.
Start or move service: www.dteenergy.com · (800) 477-4747
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from River Rouge water system
The River Rouge water system supplies River Rouge: about 54% of residents live in its service area. City of Detroit serves another 7%. About 42% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Great Lakes Water Authority as seller) and serves 7,224 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Surface Water Treatment Rule), beginning Jul 2023. 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Jun 2026, was 5.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 13.2 ppb. That’s higher than 94% 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. MI0005690.
4 home internet providers serve River Rouge
100% of 2,769 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 13% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL, Fiber | 57% | 5,000/5,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 90% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 28% | 25/6 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in River Rouge
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in River Rouge, from the town’s own site.
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check cityofriverrouge.net →
From cityofriverrouge.net, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. 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.
River Rouge is in River Rouge School District.
DSchool 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.
River Rouge is in ZIP code 48218
ZIP codes where River Rouge residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of River Rouge | ZIP’s residents in River Rouge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48218 | River Rouge, MI | 100% | 99% |
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 River Rouge
Who supplies River Rouge’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The River Rouge water system (EPA ID MI0005690). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Surface Water Treatment Rule). 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 5.7 ppb (Jan–Jun 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in River Rouge?
DTE (DTE Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 20.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve River Rouge?
Xfinity, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in River Rouge?
48218. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is River Rouge in?
River Rouge School District.
How do I register to vote in River Rouge?
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 River Rouge City 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: River Rouge’s own website (cityofriverrouge.net), 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 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.