Living in Pickerel Lake Township, MN: what to set up and who to call
Power in Pickerel Lake Township comes from Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association and GigFire wire most of Pickerel Lake Township, and 100% of addresses can get fiber.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Pickerel Lake 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 Pickerel Lake Township.
Power comes from Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative
Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative (Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative), a cooperative utility, serves all of Pickerel Lake Township. Its homes paid an average of 15.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $136 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: fmcs.coop · (507) 373-6421
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Albert Lea water system
The Albert Lea water system supplies Pickerel Lake Township: about 30% of residents live in its service area. About 70% 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 18,492 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 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 3.0 ppb. That’s higher than 65% 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. MN1240001.
7 home internet providers serve Pickerel Lake Township
100% of 334 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association | Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/1,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 10% | 40/3 |
| Midco | Fixed wireless | 100% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 66% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 32% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Pickerel Lake Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Pickerel Lake Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Pickerel Lake Township (66%) is in Albert Lea Public School District; parts are in Alden-Conger Public School District (32%) and Glenville-Emmons School District (2%).
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 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Pickerel Lake Township spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Pickerel Lake Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Pickerel Lake Township | ZIP’s residents in Pickerel Lake Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56007 | Albert Lea, MN | 82% | 2% |
| 56009 | Alden, MN | 18% | 7% |
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 Pickerel Lake Township
Who supplies Pickerel Lake Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Albert Lea water system (EPA ID MN1240001). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% 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 Pickerel Lake Township?
Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative (Freeborn Mower Electric Cooperative), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 15.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Pickerel Lake Township?
Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association, GigFire, CenturyLink, Midco, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Pickerel Lake Township?
56007 (82%), 56009 (18%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Pickerel Lake Township in?
Albert Lea Public School District. Parts of the city are in Alden-Conger Public School District and Glenville-Emmons School District.
How do I register to vote in Pickerel Lake 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 Freeborn County Government Center. 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.