Photo: Acntx at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Iola, TX: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in Iola comes from Wickson Creek SUD Grimes County, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 20% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result of 0.6 ppb. The ER is a drive from Iola: the closest is Madison St. Joseph Health Center, 15.4 miles away.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Iola, 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 Iola.
Power comes from Entergy Texas
Entergy Texas (Entergy Texas Inc.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Iola. Its homes paid an average of 13.9¢ per kWh in 2025, about $172 a month (its average across Texas).
Start or move service: entergy-texas.com · (800) 368-3749
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Wickson Creek SUD Grimes County
Wickson Creek SUD Grimes County supplies Iola: about 94% of residents live in its service area. About 6% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water (EPA lists Wickson Creek SUD as seller) and serves 4,843 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 0.6 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 61% 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. TX0930003.
4 home internet providers serve Iola
100% of 183 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 100% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MidSouth Fiber Internet | Fiber | 100% | 8,000/8,000 |
| Valor Telecommunications of Texas | DSL | 69% | 200/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 57% | 25/3 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 55% | 25/6 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Iola’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Iola.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Iola is in Iola Independent School District.
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 Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Iola is in ZIP code 77861
ZIP codes where Iola residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Iola | ZIP’s residents in Iola |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77861 | Iola, TX | 100% | 11% |
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 Iola
Who supplies Iola’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Wickson Creek SUD Grimes County (EPA ID TX0930003). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.6 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Iola?
Entergy Texas (Entergy Texas Inc.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 13.9¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Iola?
MidSouth Fiber Internet, Valor Telecommunications of Texas, AT&T, Verizon (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Iola?
77861. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Iola in?
Iola Independent School District.
How do I register to vote in Iola?
Texas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Grimes County Early Voting Clerk. Check your registration at teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.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 Nov 18, 2024 (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.