Living in Watford City, ND: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in most of Watford City comes from the Mckenzie County Wrd water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 20% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. Watford City has its own library, Mckenzie County Public Library, at 112 Second Avenue NE.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Watford City, 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 Watford City.
Power comes from Montana-Dakota Utilities
Montana-Dakota Utilities (Montana-Dakota Utilities Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Watford City. Its homes paid an average of 11.1¢ per kWh in 2025, about $92 a month (its average across North Dakota).
Start or move service: montana-dakota.com · (800) 638-3278
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Mckenzie County Wrd water system
The Mckenzie County Wrd water system supplies Watford City: about 62% of residents live in its service area. About 38% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Western Area Water Supply Authority as seller) and serves 3,895 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.7 ppb. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
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. ND2701477.
4 home internet providers serve Watford City
100% of 1,723 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reservation Telephone Cooperative | Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 63% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 62% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 26% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Watford City
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Watford City, from the town’s own site.
Residential Yard Waste Disposal
1428 11th Ave SW, Watford City, ND 58854
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check storage.googleapis.com →
From storage.googleapis.com, cityofwatfordcity.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 23, 2026; pages dated 2026-04-22, 2026-09-08. 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.
Watford City is in McKenzie County Public School District 1.
B−School 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 Oct 2022; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Jul 30, 2024.
Watford City is in ZIP code 58854
ZIP codes where Watford City residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Watford City | ZIP’s residents in Watford City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58854 | Watford City, ND | 100% | 68% |
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 Watford City
Who supplies Watford City’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Mckenzie County Wrd water system (EPA ID ND2701477). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Watford City?
Montana-Dakota Utilities (Montana-Dakota Utilities Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 11.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Watford City?
Reservation Telephone Cooperative, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Watford City?
58854. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Watford City in?
McKenzie County Public School District 1.
How do I register to vote in Watford City?
North Dakota has no voter registration: you show ID at the polls. Elections here are run by the McKenzie 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: Watford City’s own website (storage.googleapis.com, cityofwatfordcity.gov), read Oct 23, 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 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.