Living in Ethel, MO: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Ethel comes from Chariton Linn County Pwsd 3, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 20% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result of 1.0 ppb. For an emergency, Macon County Samaritan Memorial Hospital is the closest ER, 17.6 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Ethel, 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 Ethel.
Power comes from Union Electric
Union Electric (Union Electric Co - (MO)), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Ethel. Its homes paid an average of 13.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $137 a month (its average across Missouri).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Chariton Linn County Pwsd 3
Chariton Linn County Pwsd 3 supplies almost all of Ethel. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Brookfield PWS and Marceline PWS as sellers) and serves 5,200 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 2024–Dec 2026, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.4 ppb. That’s higher than 51% 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. MO2024128.
1 home internet providers serve Ethel
82% of 39 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 82% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chariton Valley Broadband | Fiber | 74% | 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 Ethel’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Ethel.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Ethel is in Macon County R-IV 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.
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.
Ethel is in ZIP code 63539
ZIP codes where Ethel residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Ethel | ZIP’s residents in Ethel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63539 | Ethel, MO | 100% | 17% |
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 Ethel
Who supplies Ethel’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Chariton Linn County Pwsd 3 (EPA ID MO2024128). 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 1.0 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Ethel?
Union Electric (Union Electric Co - (MO)), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 13.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Ethel?
Chariton Valley Broadband (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Ethel?
63539. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Ethel in?
Macon County R-IV School District.
How do I register to vote in Ethel?
In Missouri you can register online until 27 days before Election Day, in person until 27 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 27 days before). Elections here are run by the Macon. Check your registration at voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov.
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.