Living in Preston Lake Township, MN: what to set up and who to call
Power in Preston Lake Township comes from McLeod Cooperative Power Assn, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. Wired internet is thin in Preston Lake Township: the FCC’s map has 60% of addresses able to get it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Preston 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 Preston Lake Township.
Power comes from McLeod Cooperative Power Assn
McLeod Cooperative Power Assn (McLeod Cooperative Power Assn), a cooperative utility, serves 89.9% of Preston Lake Township residents.
Start or move service: mcleodcoop.com · (320) 864-3148
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Buffalo Lake water system
The Buffalo Lake water system supplies Preston Lake Township: about 8% of residents live in its service area. About 92% 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 703 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people.
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. 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. MN1650003.
11 home internet providers serve Preston Lake Township
100% of 133 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 11% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyLink | DSL | 50% | 40/3 |
| RSFiberCooperative | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 29% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable | 5% | 2,000/1,000 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 98% | 150/130 |
| Midco | Fixed wireless | 93% | 100/20 |
| Broadband | Fixed wireless | 46% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Preston Lake Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Preston Lake Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Preston Lake Township is in Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Public Schools.
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 May 2024; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Preston Lake Township spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Preston Lake Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Preston Lake Township | ZIP’s residents in Preston Lake Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55314 | Buffalo Lake, MN | 71% | 15% |
| 55385 | Stewart, MN | 29% | 6% |
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 Preston Lake Township
Who supplies Preston Lake Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Buffalo Lake water system (EPA ID MN1650003). 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 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Preston Lake Township?
McLeod Cooperative Power Assn (McLeod Cooperative Power Assn), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Preston Lake Township?
CenturyLink, RSFiberCooperative, Mediacom Xtream, GigFire, Midco, Broadband (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Preston Lake Township?
55314 (71%), 55385 (29%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Preston Lake Township in?
Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Public Schools.
How do I register to vote in Preston 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 Renville 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.