Photo: SportSuburban · CC BY 2.0Living in Townsend, MT: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Townsend comes from the City of Townsend water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result of 1.0 ppb. Power in Townsend comes from Vigilante Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Townsend, 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 Townsend.
Power comes from Vigilante Electric Coop
Vigilante Electric Coop (Vigilante Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Townsend.
Start or move service: www.vec.coop · (406) 683-2327
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Townsend water system
The City of Townsend water system supplies almost all of Townsend. It draws ground water and serves 2,000 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 2023–Dec 2025, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 52% 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. MT0000344.
5 home internet providers serve Townsend
97% of 851 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 16% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyLink | DSL | 95% | 10/1 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 95% | 1,000/35 |
| The Montana Internet | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 90% | 25/5 |
| Blackfoot Communications | Fiber | 19% | 1,000/500 |
| Global Net | Fixed wireless | 2% | 25/10 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Townsend’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Townsend.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Townsend is in Townsend K-12 Schools.
BSchool 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 Jan 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Townsend is in ZIP code 59644
ZIP codes where Townsend residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Townsend | ZIP’s residents in Townsend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59644 | Townsend, MT | 100% | 40% |
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 Townsend
Who supplies Townsend’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Townsend water system (EPA ID MT0000344). 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 1.0 ppb (Jan 2023–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Townsend?
Vigilante Electric Coop (Vigilante Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility.
What internet providers serve Townsend?
CenturyLink, Spectrum, The Montana Internet, Blackfoot Communications, Global Net (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Townsend?
59644. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Townsend in?
Townsend K-12 Schools.
How do I register to vote in Townsend?
Montana has no online registration; you can register in person up to and including Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Broadwater County Election Administrator. Check your registration at prodvoterportal.mt.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.