Living in Ponemah, MN: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2025 is still open for the Ponemah water system. Ponemah has no town government of its own, so Beltrami County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Red Lake Public School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ponemah, 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 Ponemah.
Power comes from Beltrami Electric Coop
Beltrami Electric Coop (Beltrami Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Ponemah. Its homes paid an average of 15.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $179 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: beltramielectric.com · (218) 444-2540
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Ponemah water system
The Ponemah water system supplies Ponemah: about 6% of residents live in its service area. About 94% 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 371 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule), beginning Apr 2025. 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people had none. 1 older violation is still open, since 2025: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. 055294603.
1 home internet providers serve Ponemah
100% of 203 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Bunyan Communications | Fiber | 100% | 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 Ponemah’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Ponemah.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Ponemah is in Red Lake 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
Ponemah is unincorporated, so Beltrami County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jan 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ponemah is in ZIP code 56666
ZIP codes where Ponemah residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ponemah | ZIP’s residents in Ponemah |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56666 | Ponemah, MN | 100% | 68% |
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 Ponemah
Who supplies Ponemah’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Ponemah water system (EPA ID 055294603). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a groundwater treatment requirement (Groundwater Rule). 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ponemah?
Beltrami Electric Coop (Beltrami Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 15.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Ponemah?
Paul Bunyan Communications (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Ponemah?
56666. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ponemah in?
Red Lake Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Ponemah?
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 Beltrami County Auditor. 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.