Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Des Moines Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
The Des Moines Township handbook

Living in Des Moines Township, MN: what to set up and who to call

Power in Des Moines Township comes from Federated Rural Electric Assn, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. Public schools here are run by Jackson County Central School District.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Des Moines Township, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Des Moines Township.

Electricity

Power comes from Federated Rural Electric Assn

Federated Rural Electric Assn (Federated Rural Electric Assn), a cooperative utility, serves 95.3% of Des Moines Township residents. Its homes paid an average of 12.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $160 a month (its average across Minnesota).

Start or move service: econdev.federatedrea.coop · (507) 847-3520

Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from Red Rock Rural Water System

Red Rock Rural Water System supplies Des Moines Township: about 76% of residents live in its service area. Jackson serves another 8%. About 17% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water (EPA lists Windom and Lincoln-Pipestone Rural Water System and Balaton and Saint James as sellers) and serves 5,840 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.

Lead, 90th percentile2.0 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 67% 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. MN1170009.

Internet

Which providers serve Des Moines Township

Data pending · D4

This card will list the home internet providers the FCC’s National Broadband Map shows in Des Moines Township, the share of addresses that can get 100/20 Mbps and the share with fiber, with the map’s “as of” date.

Source to come: FCC Broadband Data Collection.

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Des Moines Township’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Des Moines Township.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileOpenStreetMap lists no public drop-off in Des Moines Township or within 5 miles (as of Oct 9, 2026); map coverage varies by town.
Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Des Moines Township kids go to
PK–3Riverside Elementaryin Jackson
6–8Jackson County Central Middlein Lakefield
9–12Jackson County Central Senior Highin Jackson

Des Moines Township is in Jackson County Central 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.

Government & voting

Town hall and registering to vote

Who to call, and how to register.

Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

ZIP codes & area codes

Des Moines Township spans 2 ZIP codes

ZIP codes where Des Moines Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of Des Moines TownshipZIP’s residents in Des Moines Township
56143Jackson, MN99%5%
56150Lakefield, MN1%0%

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

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 Des Moines Township

Who supplies Des Moines Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?

Red Rock Rural Water System (EPA ID MN1170009). 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 2.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Des Moines Township?

Federated Rural Electric Assn (Federated Rural Electric Assn), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 12.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What ZIP codes are in Des Moines Township?

56143 (99%), 56150 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Des Moines Township in?

Jackson County Central School District.

How do I register to vote in Des Moines Township?

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 Jackson County Courthouse. 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.
  • 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 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): pending.