Photo: Igoldste · CC BY-SA 2.5Living in Bethlehem, NY: what to set up and who to call
The Bethlehem WD No 1 water system reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: disinfection byproducts (TTHM), beginning Jan 2022. Bethlehem has its own drop-off, Rupert Road Transfer Station.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Bethlehem, 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 Bethlehem.
Power comes from National Grid
National Grid (Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Bethlehem. Its homes paid an average of 19.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $130 a month (its average across New York, for customers on its standard service). New York lets you buy power from another supplier; 6% of National Grid’s home customers do, and National Grid still delivers it.
Start or move service: www1.nationalgridus.com · (315) 474-1511
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Bethlehem WD No 1 water system
The Bethlehem WD No 1 water system supplies Bethlehem: about 93% of residents live in its service area. About 6% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws surface water (EPA lists Albany City and Guilderland Town WD as sellers) and serves 31,000 people in all.
1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM), beginning Jan 2022. 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower 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. NY0100191.
4 home internet providers serve Bethlehem
100% of 12,632 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 93% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 97% | 1,000/35 |
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 95% | 980/880 |
| Hudson Valley Wireless | Fixed wireless | 80% | 200/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 65% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
In Bethlehem, you hire your own trash hauler
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Bethlehem, from the town’s own site.
Rupert Road Transfer Station
136 Rupert Road, Selkirk, NY 12158
- Tue8 am–4 pm
- Thu8 am–4 pm
- Sat8 am–4 pm
Cost: Free; permit good for the lifetime of the vehicle
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
- Plastic containers
- Glass bottles and jars
- Metal cans and tins
- Corrugated cardboard (flattened)
- Brown paper bags
- Softcover books and phone books
Shelter Enterprises
8 Saratoga Street, Cohoes, NY 12047
From townofbethlehem.org, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 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 Bethlehem (50%) is in Bethlehem Central School District; parts are in Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District (47%) and Guilderland Central School District (4%).
A−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 Aug 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Bethlehem spans 5 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Bethlehem residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Bethlehem | ZIP’s residents in Bethlehem |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12054 | Delmar, NY | 48% | 97% |
| 12077 | Glenmont, NY | 19% | 100% |
| 12158 | Selkirk, NY | 15% | 85% |
| 12159 | Slingerlands, NY | 14% | 56% |
| 12203 | Albany, NY | 3% | 4% |
A few homes fall in 12067, 12161, 12143, 12208.
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 Bethlehem
Who supplies Bethlehem’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Bethlehem WD No 1 water system (EPA ID NY0100191). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (TTHM). 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Bethlehem?
National Grid (Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 19.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Bethlehem?
Spectrum, Verizon, Hudson Valley Wireless, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Bethlehem?
12054 (48%), 12077 (19%), 12158 (15%), 12159 (14%), 12203 (3%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Bethlehem in?
Bethlehem Central School District. Parts of the city are in Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District and Guilderland Central School District.
How do I register to vote in Bethlehem?
In New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before). Elections here are run by the Albany County Board of Elections. Check your registration at voterlookup.elections.ny.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: Bethlehem’s own website (townofbethlehem.org), 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 Aug 3, 2026 (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.