Castolon Historic District · Photo: National Park Service Digital Image Archives · Public domainLiving in Terlingua, TX: what to set up and who to call
Study Butte Terlingua Water System reported 5 health-based violations to EPA in the last five years: radioactivity (gross alpha, excluding radon and uranium) ×3, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule) ×2. 78% of systems its size reported none. Terlingua has no town government of its own, so Brewster County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Terlingua Common School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Terlingua, 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 Terlingua.
Power comes from Rio Grande Electric Coop
Rio Grande Electric Coop (Rio Grande Electric Coop, Inc), a cooperative utility, serves all of Terlingua. 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 Study Butte Terlingua Water System
Study Butte Terlingua Water System supplies almost all of Terlingua. It draws ground water and serves 888 people in all.
5 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: radioactivity (gross alpha, excluding radon and uranium) ×3, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule) ×2, the latest beginning Apr 2023. 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people had none.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 1.8 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 27.2 ppb. That’s higher than 68% 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. TX0220035.
2 home internet providers serve Terlingua
94% of 86 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 94% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bend Telephone Company | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 94% | 1,000/1,000 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 23% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Terlingua’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Terlingua.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Terlingua is in Terlingua Common 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
Terlingua 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.
Terlingua is in ZIP code 79852
ZIP codes where Terlingua residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Terlingua | ZIP’s residents in Terlingua |
|---|---|---|---|
| 79852 | Terlingua, 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.
Questions about living in Terlingua
Who supplies Terlingua’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Study Butte Terlingua Water System (EPA ID TX0220035). It reported 5 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: radioactivity (gross alpha, excluding radon and uranium) ×3, a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule) ×2. 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 1.8 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Terlingua?
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 Terlingua?
Big Bend Telephone Company, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Terlingua?
79852. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Terlingua in?
Terlingua Common School District.
How do I register to vote in Terlingua?
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.