Photo: Not credited · Public domainLiving in Bison, SD: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Bison comes from the Bison water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 23% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result of 1.0 ppb. The nearest emergency room is West River Regional Medical Center, 33.9 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Bison, 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 Bison.
Power comes from Montana-Dakota Utilities
Montana-Dakota Utilities (Montana-Dakota Utilities Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Bison. Its homes paid an average of 13.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $111 a month (its average across South Dakota).
Start or move service: montana-dakota.com · (800) 638-3278
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Bison water system
The Bison water system supplies almost all of Bison. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Perkins County Rural Water as seller) and serves 310 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–Dec 2023, was 1.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 52% 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. SD4600039.
2 home internet providers serve Bison
100% of 225 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| West River Cooperative Telephone Company | Fiber | 100% | 250/250 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 68% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Bison’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Bison.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Bison is in Bison School District 52-1.
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 Jul 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Bison is in ZIP code 57620
ZIP codes where Bison residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Bison | ZIP’s residents in Bison |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57620 | Bison, SD | 100% | 68% |
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 Bison
Who supplies Bison’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Bison water system (EPA ID SD4600039). 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 1.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Bison?
Montana-Dakota Utilities (Montana-Dakota Utilities Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 13.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Bison?
West River Cooperative Telephone Company, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Bison?
57620. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Bison in?
Bison School District 52-1.
How do I register to vote in Bison?
South Dakota has no online registration; you can register in person until 15 days before Election Day or by mail (received 15 days before). Elections here are run by the Perkins County Auditor. Check your registration at vip.sdsos.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.