Photo: w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0Living in Columbus, WI: what to set up and who to call
Columbus Utilities has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 8.9 ppb, was higher than 98% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). Power in Columbus comes from Adams-Columbia Electric Coop, a cooperative utility rather than a private company.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Columbus, 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 Columbus.
Power comes from Adams-Columbia Electric Coop
Adams-Columbia Electric Coop (Adams-Columbia Electric Coop), a cooperative utility, serves 96.8% of Columbus residents. Its homes paid an average of 19.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $122 a month (its average across Wisconsin).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Columbus Utilities
Columbus Utilities supplies Columbus: about 2% of residents live in its service area. About 98% 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 5,173 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 Jun–Sep 2025, was 8.9 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 10.2 ppb. That’s higher than 98% 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 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. WI1110038.
Which providers serve Columbus
This card will list the home internet providers the FCC’s National Broadband Map shows in Columbus, the share of addresses that can get 100/20 Mbps and the share with fiber, with the map’s “as of” date.
Source to come: FCC Broadband Data Collection.
Trash and recycling in Columbus
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Columbus, from the town’s own site.
City of Columbus Landscape Recycling Center
N3642 River Road, Columbus, WI 53925
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
Accepted at the curb
- Aluminum containers
- Glass containers
- Steel containers (tin/aluminum cans)
- Bi-metal containers
- Corrugated cardboard
- Magazines and other similar printed materials
- Newspaper and other newsprint or mixed paper
- Plastic containers #1 - #7
Landscape Recycling Center
N3642 River Road, Columbus WI 53925
From cityofcolumbuswi.com, the town’s official site, checked Oct 22, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Columbus (95%) is in Columbus School District; parts are in Fall River School District (5%).
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.
Columbus spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Columbus residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Columbus | ZIP’s residents in Columbus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53925 | Columbus, WI | 97% | 7% |
| 53932 | Fall River, WI | 3% | 1% |
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 Columbus
Who supplies Columbus’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
Columbus Utilities (EPA ID WI1110038). 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 8.9 ppb (Jun–Sep 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Columbus?
Adams-Columbia Electric Coop (Adams-Columbia Electric Coop), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 19.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What ZIP codes are in Columbus?
53925 (97%), 53932 (3%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Columbus in?
Columbus School District. Parts of the city are in Fall River School District.
How do I register to vote in Columbus?
In Wisconsin you can register online until 20 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 20 days before). Elections here are run by the Town of Columbus Clerk. Check your registration at myvote.wi.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: Columbus’ own website (cityofcolumbuswi.com), read Oct 22, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- 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): pending.