Photo: {{{1}}} · CC BY-SA 2.0Living in Cathay, ND: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in most of Cathay comes from Central Plains Water District, 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. The ER is a drive from Cathay: the closest is Carrington Health Center, 17.5 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cathay, 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 Cathay.
Power comes from Otter Tail Power
Otter Tail Power (Otter Tail Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Cathay. Its homes paid an average of 11.1¢ per kWh in 2025, about $120 a month (its average across North Dakota).
Start or move service: ottertail.com · (866) 410-8780
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Central Plains Water District
Central Plains Water District supplies Cathay: about 74% of residents live in its service area. About 26% 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 3,504 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–Dec 2024, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 2.3 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. ND5201309.
1 home internet providers serve Cathay
100% of 12 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Central | Fiber | 100% | 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 Cathay’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Cathay.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Cathay (51%) is in Carrington Public School District 49; parts are in Fessenden-Bowdon Public School District 25 (49%).
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 Oct 2022; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Jul 30, 2024.
Cathay is in ZIP code 58422
ZIP codes where Cathay residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cathay | ZIP’s residents in Cathay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58422 | Cathay, ND | 100% | 16% |
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 Cathay
Who supplies Cathay’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Central Plains Water District (EPA ID ND5201309). 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–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Cathay?
Otter Tail Power (Otter Tail Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 11.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Cathay?
Dakota Central (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cathay?
58422. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cathay in?
Carrington Public School District 49. Parts of the city are in Fessenden-Bowdon Public School District 25.
How do I register to vote in Cathay?
North Dakota has no voter registration: you show ID at the polls. Elections here are run by the Wells County Auditor. Check your registration at vip.sos.nd.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 Jul 30, 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.