Living in Vale, SD: what to set up and who to call
Vale has no town government of its own, so Butte County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Newell School District 09-2. For an emergency, Monument Health Sturgis Hospital is the closest ER, 15.9 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Vale, 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 Vale.
Power comes from Black Hills Energy
Black Hills Energy (Black Hills Power, Inc.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Vale. Its homes paid an average of 15.1¢ per kWh in 2025, about $106 a month (its average across South Dakota).
Start or move service: blackhillspower.com · (800) 742-8948
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Butte-Meade Swd-Bean Well water system
The Butte-Meade Swd-Bean Well water system supplies Vale: about 47% of residents live in its service area. About 53% 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 1,481 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 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 lower 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. SD4600223.
1 home internet providers serve Vale
100% of 76 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| West River Cooperative Telephone Company | Fiber | 100% | 250/250 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Vale’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Vale.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Vale is in Newell School District 09-2.
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
Vale is unincorporated, so Butte County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Vale is in ZIP code 57788
ZIP codes where Vale residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Vale | ZIP’s residents in Vale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57788 | Vale, SD | 100% | 24% |
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 Vale
Who supplies Vale’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Butte-Meade Swd-Bean Well water system (EPA ID SD4600223). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 78% 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 Vale?
Black Hills Energy (Black Hills Power, Inc.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 15.1¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Vale?
West River Cooperative Telephone Company (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Vale?
57788. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Vale in?
Newell School District 09-2.
How do I register to vote in Vale?
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 Butte 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.