Living in Bigelow, MN: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2023 is still open for the Bigelow water system. Sibley Public Library, 7.9 miles away, is the closest library to Bigelow.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Bigelow, 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 Bigelow.
Water comes from Bigelow water system
The Bigelow water system supplies Bigelow: about 88% of residents live in its service area. About 12% 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 Osceola Rural Water System-North as seller) and serves 235 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), beginning Oct 2023. 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people had none. 1 older violation is still open, since 2023: 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 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 19.0 ppb. That’s higher than 52% 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. MN1530002.
5 home internet providers serve Bigelow
100% of 113 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company | Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Frontier | DSL | 84% | 115/7 |
| Midco | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 99% | 150/130 |
| Federated Rural Electric Association | Fixed wireless | 93% | 40/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Bigelow’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Bigelow.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Bigelow is in Worthington Public School District.
Test scores and every school: see 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 Sep 2017; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Bigelow is in ZIP code 56117
ZIP codes where Bigelow residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Bigelow | ZIP’s residents in Bigelow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56117 | Bigelow, MN | 100% | 65% |
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 Bigelow
Who supplies Bigelow’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Bigelow water system (EPA ID MN1530002). 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). 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
What internet providers serve Bigelow?
Lismore Cooperative Telephone Company, Frontier, Midco, GigFire, Federated Rural Electric Association (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Bigelow?
56117. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Bigelow in?
Worthington Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Bigelow?
In Minnesota you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Nobles County Auditor-Treasurer. Check your registration at mnvotes.sos.state.mn.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.
- 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 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.