Photo: Iulus Ascanius at English Wikipedia · Public domainLiving in Welch Township, MN: what to set up and who to call
Power in Welch Township comes from Dakota Electric Association, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. Only 51% of addresses in Welch Township can get a wired internet connection, by the FCC’s map.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Welch 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 Welch Township.
Power comes from Dakota Electric Association
Dakota Electric Association (Dakota Electric Association), a cooperative utility, serves all of Welch Township. Its homes paid an average of 15.6¢ per kWh in 2025, about $116 a month (its average across Minnesota).
Start or move service: dakotaelectric.com · (800) 874-3409
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Prairie Island water system
The Prairie Island water system supplies Welch 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 6,699 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2023–Dec 2025, was 4.3 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 89% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. 055294502.
9 home internet providers serve Welch Township
82% of 382 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 22% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast MN Wifi | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 71% | 3,000/3,000 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 28% | 40/3 |
| HBC | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 26% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Frontier | DSL | 8% | 115/7 |
| Nuvera Communications | Fiber | 4% | 1,000/1,000 |
| GigFire | Fixed wireless | 54% | 150/130 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Welch Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Welch Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Welch Township (96%) is in Red Wing Public School District; parts are in Hastings Public 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 Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Welch Township spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Welch Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Welch Township | ZIP’s residents in Welch Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55089 | Welch, MN | 87% | 40% |
| 55033 | Hastings, MN | 9% | 0% |
| 55009 | Cannon Falls, MN | 5% | 0% |
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 Welch Township
Who supplies Welch Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Prairie Island water system (EPA ID 055294502). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 4.3 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Welch Township?
Dakota Electric Association (Dakota Electric Association), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 15.6¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Welch Township?
Southeast MN Wifi, CenturyLink, HBC, Frontier, Nuvera Communications, GigFire (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Welch Township?
55089 (87%), 55033 (9%), 55009 (5%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Welch Township in?
Red Wing Public School District. Parts of the city are in Hastings Public School District.
How do I register to vote in Welch 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 Goodhue 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.