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The Ottawa handbook

Living in Ottawa, WI: what to set up and who to call

Dousman Water Utility reported one health-based violation to EPA in the last five years: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. To register to vote, go to the Town of Ottawa Clerk: Ottawa runs its own elections.

I’m new in town

What to set up in Ottawa, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.

Home services

Power, water and internet

Who to call to start service at a new address in Ottawa.

Electricity

Power comes from We Energies

We Energies (Wisconsin Electric Power Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Ottawa. Its homes paid an average of 20.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $131 a month (its average across Wisconsin).

Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.

Drinking water · reported to EPA

Water comes from Dousman Water Utility

Dousman Water Utility supplies Ottawa: about 4% of residents live in its service area. About 96% 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 2,350 people in all.

1 health-based violation reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions), beginning Oct 2024. 78% of the 7,966 systems serving 1,001–3,300 people had none.

Lead, 90th percentile2.3 ppb
015 ppb action level20

The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jun–Sep 2023, was 2.3 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 76% 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. WI2680197.

Internet

7 home internet providers serve Ottawa

87% of 1,541 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.

ProviderTechnologyAddressesFastest (Mbps)
SpectrumCable, Fiber86%1,000/35
BrightspeedDSL37%40/3
Bug TusselFixed wireless63%50/8
T-MobileFixed wireless40%100/20
VerizonFixed wireless36%300/20
AT&TFixed wireless32%25/3

FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.

Trash & recycling

We don’t have Ottawa’s trash rules yet

Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Ottawa.

Trash, recycling and bulk pickupNot on fileOpenStreetMap lists no public drop-off in Ottawa or within 5 miles (as of Oct 9, 2026); map coverage varies by town.
Schools

Where your child goes to school

Public school districts and the school path by grade.

Ottawa kids go to
PK–54 elementary schoolsDepends on your address
6–8Kettle Moraine Middlein Dousman
9–12Kettle Moraine Highin Wales

Most of Ottawa (91%) is in Kettle Moraine School District; parts are in Mukwonago School District (5%) and Palmyra-Eagle Area School District (3%).

ASchool gradeSee Schools →

U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.

Government & voting

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.

ZIP codes & area codes

Ottawa spans 4 ZIP codes

ZIP codes where Ottawa residents live, with the share of the town in each.

ZIPPost office nameShare of OttawaZIP’s residents in Ottawa
53118Dousman, WI87%45%
53066Oconomowoc, WI9%1%
53119Eagle, WI2%1%
53153North Prairie, WI2%2%

Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.

Everyday places

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 Ottawa

Who supplies Ottawa’s drinking water, and has it had violations?

Dousman Water Utility (EPA ID WI2680197). It reported 1 health-based violation to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a lead and copper treatment requirement (Lead and Copper Rule Revisions). 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 2.3 ppb (Jun–Sep 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.

Who provides electricity in Ottawa?

We Energies (Wisconsin Electric Power Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 20.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).

What internet providers serve Ottawa?

Spectrum, Brightspeed, Bug Tussel, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).

What ZIP codes are in Ottawa?

53118 (87%), 53066 (9%), 53119 (2%), 53153 (2%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.

What school district is Ottawa in?

Kettle Moraine School District. Parts of the city are in Mukwonago School District and Palmyra-Eagle Area School District.

How do I register to vote in Ottawa?

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 Ottawa 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: 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.