Living in Potsdam, NY: what to set up and who to call
The Potsdam Village water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 7.8 ppb, was higher than 97% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). Trash goes out on Tuesdays in Potsdam.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Potsdam, 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 Potsdam.
Power comes from National Grid
National Grid (Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Potsdam. 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 Potsdam Village water system
The Potsdam Village water system supplies almost all of Potsdam. It draws surface water and serves 8,312 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 7.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 97% 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. NY4404397.
4 home internet providers serve Potsdam
96% of 1,503 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 76% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 95% | 1,000/50 |
| SLICFiber | Fiber | 84% | 1,000/1,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 70% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 54% | 300/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in Potsdam is Tuesday
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Potsdam, from the town’s own site.
This month
- TrashEvery week
- RecyclingEvery other week, day by address · which week: villageofpotsdamny.gov
Holidays change the pickup schedule: check the town’s calendar for those weeks.
From villageofpotsdamny.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-10-22. 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.
Potsdam is in Potsdam Central School District.
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 Sep 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Potsdam spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Potsdam residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Potsdam | ZIP’s residents in Potsdam |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13676 | Potsdam, NY | 73% | 46% |
| 13699 | Potsdam, NY | 27% | 100% |
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 Potsdam
Who supplies Potsdam’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Potsdam Village water system (EPA ID NY4404397). 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 7.8 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Potsdam?
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 Potsdam?
Spectrum, SLICFiber, T-Mobile, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Potsdam?
13676 (73%), 13699 (27%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Potsdam in?
Potsdam Central School District.
How do I register to vote in Potsdam?
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 St. Lawrence 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: Potsdam’s own website (villageofpotsdamny.gov), 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.