Photo: Rick Obst from Eugene, United States · CC BY 2.0Living in Wallowa Lake, OR: what to set up and who to call
Wallowa Lake has no town government of its own, so Wallowa County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Joseph School District 6. Tap water in Wallowa Lake comes from Wallowa Lake Co Service Dist, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 23% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Wallowa Lake, 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 Wallowa Lake.
Power comes from Pacific Power
Pacific Power (PacifiCorp), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Wallowa Lake. Its homes paid an average of 15.2¢ per kWh in 2025, about $133 a month (its average across Oregon).
Start or move service: pacificorp.com · (888) 221-7070
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Wallowa Lake Co Service Dist
Wallowa Lake Co Service Dist supplies Wallowa Lake: about 92% of residents live in its service area. About 8% 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 350 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 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. The highest in five years was 0.3 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. OR4101420.
1 home internet providers serve Wallowa Lake
90% of 261 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 90% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ziply Fiber | Fiber, Fixed wireless, DSL | 92% | 6,000/6,000 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Wallowa Lake’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Wallowa Lake.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Wallowa Lake is in Joseph School District 6.
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.
No town hall: the county runs things
Wallowa Lake is unincorporated, so Wallowa County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
Wallowa Lake is in ZIP code 97846
ZIP codes where Wallowa Lake residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Wallowa Lake | ZIP’s residents in Wallowa Lake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97846 | Joseph, OR | 100% | 4% |
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 Wallowa Lake
Who supplies Wallowa Lake’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Wallowa Lake Co Service Dist (EPA ID OR4101420). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% 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 Wallowa Lake?
Pacific Power (PacifiCorp), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.2¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Wallowa Lake?
Ziply Fiber (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Wallowa Lake?
97846. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Wallowa Lake in?
Joseph School District 6.
How do I register to vote in Wallowa Lake?
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 Wallowa 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.