Living in Traverse Township, MN: what to set up and who to call
Power in Traverse Township comes from BENCO Electric Cooperative, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. Wired internet is thin in Traverse Township: the FCC’s map has 22% of addresses able to get it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Traverse 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 Traverse Township.
Power comes from BENCO Electric Cooperative
BENCO Electric Cooperative (BENCO Electric Cooperative), a cooperative utility, serves 78.4% of Traverse 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 Saint Peter water system
The Saint Peter water system supplies Traverse Township: about 18% of residents live in its service area. About 82% 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 12,198 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 2024–Dec 2026, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 59% 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. MN1520006.
11 home internet providers serve Traverse Township
93% of 157 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 21% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netwave Broadband | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 56% | 500/500 |
| Mediacom Xtream | Cable | 14% | 2,000/1,000 |
| Metronet | Fiber | 10% | 5,120/5,120 |
| Consolidated Communications | DSL | 3% | 100/10 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 64% | 300/20 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 62% | 150/130 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Traverse Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Traverse Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Traverse Township (84%) is in St. Peter Public School District; parts are in Nicollet Public School District (16%).
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 2017; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Traverse Township is in ZIP code 56082
ZIP codes where Traverse Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Traverse Township | ZIP’s residents in Traverse Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56082 | Saint Peter, MN | 100% | 2% |
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 Traverse Township
Who supplies Traverse Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Saint Peter water system (EPA ID MN1520006). 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 1.0 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Traverse 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 Traverse Township?
Netwave Broadband, Mediacom Xtream, Metronet, Consolidated Communications, Verizon, GigFire (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Traverse Township?
56082. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Traverse Township in?
St. Peter Public School District. Parts of the city are in Nicollet Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Traverse 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 Nicollet County Govt 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.