Living in Gem Township, SD: what to set up and who to call
Gem Township spans 5 ZIP codes; 57401 holds the most residents (52%). For a library card, the closest branch is K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library, 9.3 miles out.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Gem Township, 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 Gem Township.
Power comes from NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy - (SD)), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Gem Township. Its homes paid an average of 13.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $125 a month (its average across South Dakota).
Start or move service: northwesternenergy.com · (800) 245-6977
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from WEB Water
WEB Water supplies almost all of Gem Township. It draws surface water and serves 20,750 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–Dec 2025, was 2.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 65% 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. SD4601089.
6 home internet providers serve Gem Township
98% of 112 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 98% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Valley Communications | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 80% | 1,000/200 |
| James Valley Cooperative Telephone Company | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 18% | 1,000/200 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 14% | 10/1 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 21% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 14% | 300/20 |
| Wavelength | Fixed wireless | 9% | 100/100 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Gem Township’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Gem Township.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Gem Township (71%) is in Aberdeen School District 06-1; parts are in Groton Area School District 06-6 (23%) and Warner School District 06-5 (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.
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.
Gem Township spans 5 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Gem Township residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Gem Township | ZIP’s residents in Gem Township |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57401 | Aberdeen, SD | 52% | 0% |
| 57445 | Groton, SD | 23% | 3% |
| 57479 | Warner, SD | 14% | 5% |
| 57427 | Bath, SD | 7% | 3% |
| 57474 | Stratford, SD | 4% | 3% |
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 Gem Township
Who supplies Gem Township’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
WEB Water (EPA ID SD4601089). 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 2.0 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Gem Township?
NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern Energy - (SD)), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 13.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Gem Township?
Northern Valley Communications, James Valley Cooperative Telephone Company, CenturyLink, T-Mobile, Verizon, Wavelength (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Gem Township?
57401 (52%), 57445 (23%), 57479 (14%), 57427 (7%), 57474 (4%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Gem Township in?
Aberdeen School District 06-1. Parts of the city are in Groton Area School District 06-6 and Warner School District 06-5.
How do I register to vote in Gem Township?
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 Brown 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.