Photo: Pete Forsyth · CC BY 3.0Living in Puget Island, WA: what to set up and who to call
Puget Island has no town government of its own, so Wahkiakum County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Wahkiakum School District. Power in Puget Island comes from PUD No 1 of Wahkiakum County, a political subdivision utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Puget Island, 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 Puget Island.
Power comes from PUD No 1 of Wahkiakum County
PUD No 1 of Wahkiakum County (PUD No 1 of Wahkiakum County), a political subdivision utility, serves all of Puget Island.
Start or move service: www.wahkiakumpud.org · (360) 795-3266
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Puget Island water system
The Puget Island water system supplies Puget Island: about 84% of residents live in its service area. About 16% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Cathlamet Water Dept as seller) and serves 920 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 1.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 66% 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. WA5369760.
4 home internet providers serve Puget Island
3% of 588 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 2% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astound Broadband | Fixed wireless, DSL, Fiber | 90% | 1,000/250 |
| CenturyLink | DSL | 60% | 10/1 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 28% | 25/3 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 11% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Puget Island’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Puget Island.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Puget Island is in Wahkiakum School District.
BSchool gradeSee 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
Puget Island is unincorporated, so Wahkiakum County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2019; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Puget Island is in ZIP code 98612
ZIP codes where Puget Island residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Puget Island | ZIP’s residents in Puget Island |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98612 | Cathlamet, WA | 100% | 30% |
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 Puget Island
Who supplies Puget Island’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Puget Island water system (EPA ID WA5369760). 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 1.7 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Puget Island?
PUD No 1 of Wahkiakum County (PUD No 1 of Wahkiakum County), a political subdivision utility.
What internet providers serve Puget Island?
Astound Broadband, CenturyLink, AT&T, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Puget Island?
98612. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Puget Island in?
Wahkiakum School District.
How do I register to vote in Puget Island?
In Washington you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 8 days before). Elections here are run by the Wahkiakum County Auditor. Check your registration at voter.votewa.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 Sep 30, 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.