Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Cottage Grove, OR: what to set up and who to call
The City of Cottage Grove water system has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 8.0 ppb, was higher than 96% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). Power in Cottage Grove comes from Emerald People's Utility Dist, a political subdivision utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cottage Grove, 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 Cottage Grove.
Power comes from Emerald People's Utility Dist
Emerald People's Utility Dist (Emerald People's Utility Dist), a political subdivision utility, serves all of Cottage Grove. Its homes paid an average of 11.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $143 a month (its average across Oregon).
Start or move service: epud.org · (541) 746-1583
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Cottage Grove water system
The City of Cottage Grove water system supplies almost all of Cottage Grove. It draws surface water and serves 10,879 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 8.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 96% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. OR4100236.
7 home internet providers serve Cottage Grove
98% of 3,810 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 58% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 94% | 1,000/35 |
| Hunter Communications | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 62% | 200/20 |
| DFN | Fiber | 57% | 2,500/2,500 |
| CenturyLink | DSL, Fiber | 40% | 60/5 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 79% | 300/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 27% | 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 Cottage Grove.
Cottage Grove Dump
78760 Sears Road, Cottage Grove, OR, 97424 · run by Lane County
This isn’t Cottage Grove’s own facility. Whether Cottage Grove residents may use it is the town’s rule: check cottagegrove.org.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Cottage Grove is in South Lane School District 45J.
C+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 Oct 2, 2026.
Cottage Grove is in ZIP code 97424
ZIP codes where Cottage Grove residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cottage Grove | ZIP’s residents in Cottage Grove |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97424 | Cottage Grove, OR | 100% | 56% |
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 Cottage Grove
Who supplies Cottage Grove’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Cottage Grove water system (EPA ID OR4100236). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 8.0 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Cottage Grove?
Emerald People's Utility Dist (Emerald People's Utility Dist), a political subdivision utility. Its homes paid about 11.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Cottage Grove?
Spectrum, Hunter Communications, DFN, CenturyLink, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cottage Grove?
97424. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cottage Grove in?
South Lane School District 45J.
How do I register to vote in Cottage Grove?
In Oregon you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Lane County Clerk, Elections Office. Check your registration at sos.oregon.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 Oct 2, 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.