Living in Belva, WV: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2026 is still open for Gauley River PSD, which supplies Belva. Belva has no town government of its own, so Nicholas County runs its elections and most services, and its children attend Nicholas County School District.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Belva, 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 Belva.
Power comes from Appalachian Power
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Belva. Its homes paid an average of 17.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $196 a month (its average across West Virginia).
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Gauley River PSD
Gauley River PSD supplies almost all of Belva. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Kanawha Falls PSD and Summersville Municipal Water as sellers) and serves 3,944 people in all.
6 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule) ×5, a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule), the latest beginning May 2026. 80% of the 5,012 systems serving 3,301–10,000 people had none. 6 older violations are still open, since 2026: a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan–Dec 2025, was 0.7 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s lower than 61% 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. WV3301042.
2 home internet providers serve Belva
79% of 45 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimum | Cable | 87% | 940/35 |
| Frontier | DSL | 27% | 90/5 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Belva’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Belva.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Belva is in Nicholas County 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
Belva is unincorporated, so Nicholas County is the local government.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Belva is in ZIP code 26656
ZIP codes where Belva residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Belva | ZIP’s residents in Belva |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26656 | Belva, WV | 100% | 16% |
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 Belva
Who supplies Belva’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Gauley River PSD (EPA ID WV3301042). It reported 6 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule) ×5, a bacteria testing requirement (Revised Total Coliform Rule). 80% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.7 ppb (Jan–Dec 2025), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Belva?
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Belva?
Optimum, Frontier (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Belva?
26656. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Belva in?
Nicholas County School District.
How do I register to vote in Belva?
In West Virginia you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Nicholas Clerk of the County Commission. Check your registration at apps.sos.wv.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 Aug 3, 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.