Living in Fish Lake, MN: what to set up and who to call
Fish Lake has no town government of its own, so Jackson County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Windom Public School District. Power in Fish Lake comes from Federated Rural Electric Assn, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Fish Lake, 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 Fish Lake.
Power comes from Federated Rural Electric Assn
Federated Rural Electric Assn (Federated Rural Electric Assn), a cooperative utility, serves all of Fish Lake. 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.
Water comes from Red Rock Rural Water System
Red Rock Rural Water System supplies almost all of Fish Lake. 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.
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.
8 home internet providers serve Fish Lake
100% of 82 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest MN Broadband Services | Fiber | 100% | 2,000/2,000 |
| MVTV Wireless | Fixed wireless | 100% | 50/10 |
| Federated Rural Electric Association | Fixed wireless | 95% | 40/3 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 72% | 150/130 |
| Rise Broadband | Fixed wireless | 32% | 25/5 |
| Nextlink | Fixed wireless | 28% | 1,000/1,000 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Fish Lake’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Fish Lake.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Fish Lake is in Windom 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.
No town hall: the county runs things
Fish Lake is unincorporated, so Jackson County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Fish Lake is in ZIP code 56101
ZIP codes where Fish Lake residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Fish Lake | ZIP’s residents in Fish Lake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56101 | Windom, MN | 100% | 1% |
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 Fish Lake
Who supplies Fish Lake’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 Fish Lake?
Federated Rural Electric Assn (Federated Rural Electric Assn), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 12.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Fish Lake?
Southwest MN Broadband Services, MVTV Wireless, Federated Rural Electric Association, GigFire, Rise Broadband, Nextlink (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Fish Lake?
56101. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Fish Lake in?
Windom Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Fish Lake?
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 National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.