Photo: Photo by and ©2010 Dustin M. Ramsey (Kralizec!) · CC BY-SA 2.5Living in Portage, OH: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in most of Portage comes from the Northwestern W and Sd - Portage 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. Power in Portage comes from Hancock-Wood Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Portage, 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 Portage.
Power comes from Hancock-Wood Electric Coop
Hancock-Wood Electric Coop (Hancock-Wood Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Portage. Its homes paid an average of 17.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $195 a month (its average across Ohio).
Start or move service: hwecoop.com · (330) 674-1055
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Northwestern W and Sd - Portage water system
The Northwestern W and Sd - Portage water system supplies Portage: about 66% of residents live in its service area. About 34% 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 Bowling Green City as seller) and serves 4,776 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 2024–Dec 2026, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. 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. OH8704103.
7 home internet providers serve Portage
100% of 217 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 83% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amplex Wireless | Fixed wireless, Fiber, DSL | 100% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable | 92% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Brightspeed | DSL | 77% | 40/3 |
| MetaLINK | Fixed wireless | 96% | 25/5 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 80% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 49% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 3 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Portage.
Lmaries Recycling Center
This isn’t Portage’s own facility. Whether Portage residents may use it is the town’s rule: check the town’s office.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Portage is in Bowling Green City School District.
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 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Portage is in ZIP code 43451
ZIP codes where Portage residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Portage | ZIP’s residents in Portage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43451 | Portage, OH | 100% | 35% |
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 Portage
Who supplies Portage’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Northwestern W and Sd - Portage water system (EPA ID OH8704103). 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 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Portage?
Hancock-Wood Electric Coop (Hancock-Wood Electric Coop Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 17.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Portage?
Amplex Wireless, Spectrum, Brightspeed, MetaLINK, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Portage?
43451. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Portage in?
Bowling Green City School District.
How do I register to vote in Portage?
In Ohio you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Director, Wood County Board of Elections. Check your registration at voterlookup.ohiosos.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.