U.S. Post Office · Photo: Gabriel D. May · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Columbia, MS: what to set up and who to call
Brooklyn Water Association has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 8.8 ppb, was higher than 97% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). For home internet, most of Columbia can choose between Swyft Connect and C Spire.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Columbia, 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 Columbia.
Power comes from Mississippi Power
Mississippi Power (Mississippi Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Columbia. Its homes paid an average of 15.7¢ per kWh in 2025, about $179 a month (its average across Mississippi).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Brooklyn Water Association
Brooklyn Water Association supplies Columbia: about 51% of residents live in its service area. Lily Rose W/A #2 serves another 9%. About 34% 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 1,901 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 8.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 97% 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. MS0180014.
6 home internet providers serve Columbia
89% of 2,678 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 81% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swyft Connect | Cable | 98% | 50/5 |
| C Spire | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 80% | 8,000/8,000 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL | 62% | 25/3 |
| PearlComm Fiber | Fiber | 3% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 31% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 13% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Columbia is any weekday, depending on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Columbia, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s day (any weekday)Find your street’s day on cityofcolumbiams.com →
From cityofcolumbiams.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026, August 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Columbia (87%) is in Columbia School District; parts are in Marion County School District (13%).
ASchool gradeSee 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 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Columbia is in ZIP code 39429
ZIP codes where Columbia residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Columbia | ZIP’s residents in Columbia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39429 | Columbia, MS | 100% | 36% |
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 Columbia
Who supplies Columbia’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Brooklyn Water Association (EPA ID MS0180014). 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 8.8 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Columbia?
Mississippi Power (Mississippi Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.7¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Columbia?
Swyft Connect, C Spire, AT&T, PearlComm Fiber, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Columbia?
39429. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Columbia in?
Columbia School District. Parts of the city are in Marion County School District.
How do I register to vote in Columbia?
Mississippi has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Marion County Registrar. Check your registration at msegov.com.
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: Columbia’s own website (cityofcolumbiams.com), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- 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.