Living in Kiester Township, MN: what to set up and who to call
Power in Kiester Township comes from BENCO Electric Cooperative, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. The nearest emergency room is Mayo Clinic Health System - Albert Lea and Austin, 18.7 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Kiester 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 Kiester Township.
Power comes from BENCO Electric Cooperative
BENCO Electric Cooperative (BENCO Electric Cooperative), a cooperative utility, serves 90.5% of Kiester Township residents. Its homes paid an average of 16.1¢ per kWh in 2025, about $158 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: benco.org · (507) 387-7963
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Kiester water system
The Kiester water system supplies Kiester Township: about 1% of residents live in its service area. About 99% 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 491 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 4.0 ppb. That’s higher than 70% 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. MN1220008.
7 home internet providers serve Kiester Township
100% of 131 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association | Fiber | 94% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Frontier | DSL | 52% | 70/3 |
| Bevcomm | Fiber | 18% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Midco | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 95% | 150/130 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 59% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Kiester Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Kiester Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Kiester Township is in United South 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.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Kiester Township spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Kiester Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Kiester Township | ZIP’s residents in Kiester Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56051 | Kiester, MN | 72% | 24% |
| 56097 | Wells, MN | 23% | 1% |
| 56014 | Bricelyn, MN | 5% | 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 Kiester Township
Who supplies Kiester Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Kiester water system (EPA ID MN1220008). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Kiester Township?
BENCO Electric Cooperative (BENCO Electric Cooperative), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 16.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Kiester Township?
Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association, Frontier, Bevcomm, Midco, GigFire, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Kiester Township?
56051 (72%), 56097 (23%), 56014 (5%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Kiester Township in?
United South Central School District.
How do I register to vote in Kiester 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 Faribault County. 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.