Isaac Bargen House · Photo: Jatakuck · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Mountain Lake, MN: what to set up and who to call
Mountain Lake runs its own electric utility, City of Mountain Lake. Tap water in Mountain Lake comes from the Mountain Lake water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Mountain 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 Mountain Lake.
Power comes from City of Mountain Lake
City of Mountain Lake (City of Mountain Lake - (MN)), a municipal utility, serves all of Mountain Lake.
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Mountain Lake water system
The Mountain Lake water system supplies almost all of Mountain Lake. It draws ground water and serves 2,018 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.0 ppb. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. MN1170003.
8 home internet providers serve Mountain Lake
100% of 890 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable | 99% | 2,000/1,000 |
| Frontier | DSL | 84% | 90/5 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 100% | 150/130 |
| Midco | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| MVTV Wireless | Fixed wireless | 51% | 50/10 |
| Rise Broadband | Fixed wireless | 39% | 25/5 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Hometown Sanitation picks up trash in Mountain Lake
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Mountain Lake, from the town’s own site.
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check cityofmountainlakemn.gov →
From cityofmountainlakemn.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 22, 2026; pages dated 2026-04-06. 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.
Mountain Lake is in Mountain Lake Public Schools.
B−School 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 Jun 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Mountain Lake is in ZIP code 56159
ZIP codes where Mountain Lake residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Mountain Lake | ZIP’s residents in Mountain Lake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56159 | Mountain Lake, MN | 100% | 72% |
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 Mountain Lake
Who supplies Mountain Lake’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Mountain Lake water system (EPA ID MN1170003). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Mountain Lake?
City of Mountain Lake (City of Mountain Lake - (MN)), a municipal utility.
What internet providers serve Mountain Lake?
Mediacom Xtream, Frontier, GigFire, Midco, MVTV Wireless, Rise Broadband (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Mountain Lake?
56159. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Mountain Lake in?
Mountain Lake Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Mountain 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 Cottonwood 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: Mountain Lake’s own website (cityofmountainlakemn.gov), read Oct 22, 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 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.