Gage Hotel · Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainLiving in Marathon, TX: what to set up and who to call
Marathon has no town government of its own, so Brewster County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Marathon Independent School District. Tap water in Marathon comes from Marathon Water Supply & Sewer Service, 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 0.6 ppb.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Marathon, 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 Marathon.
Power comes from Rio Grande Electric Coop
Rio Grande Electric Coop (Rio Grande Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Marathon. Its homes paid an average of 18.3¢ per kWh in 2025, about $168 a month (its average across Texas).
Start or move service: riogrande.coop · (830) 563-2444
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Marathon Water Supply & Sewer Service
Marathon Water Supply & Sewer Service supplies almost all of Marathon. It draws ground water and serves 430 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 0.6 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. TX0220013.
4 home internet providers serve Marathon
100% of 374 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 34% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bend Telecom | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Mountain Zone TV | Fixed wireless, Cable | 91% | 100/10 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 45% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 42% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Marathon’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Marathon.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Marathon is in Marathon 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.
No town hall: the county runs things
Marathon is unincorporated, so Brewster County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Marathon is in ZIP code 79842
ZIP codes where Marathon residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Marathon | ZIP’s residents in Marathon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79842 | Marathon, TX | 100% | 92% |
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 Marathon
Who supplies Marathon’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Marathon Water Supply & Sewer Service (EPA ID TX0220013). 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 0.6 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Marathon?
Rio Grande Electric Coop (Rio Grande Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 18.3¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Marathon?
Big Bend Telecom, Mountain Zone TV, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Marathon?
79842. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Marathon in?
Marathon Independent School District.
How do I register to vote in Marathon?
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 Brewster 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.