Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Cambridge, NY: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in most of Cambridge comes from Cambridge Water Works, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 22% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. The closest public drop-off to Cambridge is Washington County Recycling/Transfer Station, 2 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cambridge, 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 Cambridge.
Power comes from National Grid
National Grid (Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Cambridge. 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 Cambridge Water Works
Cambridge Water Works supplies Cambridge: about 58% of residents live in its service area. About 42% 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 3,000 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 2022–Dec 2024, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 1.0 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. NY5700117.
3 home internet providers serve Cambridge
98% of 750 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 42% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 98% | 1,000/50 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 97% | 980/880 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 87% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 2 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Cambridge.
Washington County Recycling/Transfer Station
· run by Earth Waste and Metal
This isn’t Cambridge’s own facility. Whether Cambridge residents may use it is the town’s rule: check v3.cambridgeny.gov.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Cambridge is in Cambridge Central School District.
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 Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Cambridge is in ZIP code 12816
ZIP codes where Cambridge residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cambridge | ZIP’s residents in Cambridge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12816 | Cambridge, NY | 100% | 41% |
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 Cambridge
Who supplies Cambridge’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Cambridge Water Works (EPA ID NY5700117). 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 0.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Cambridge?
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 Cambridge?
Spectrum, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cambridge?
12816. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cambridge in?
Cambridge Central School District.
How do I register to vote in Cambridge?
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 Washington 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: 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 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.