Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Living in Lester, WV: what to set up and who to call
An EPA health-based violation from 2024 is still open for Lester Municipal Water Works, and its latest lead result (14.1 ppb) was higher than 99% of similar systems’, though under the 15 ppb action level. Raleigh County School District runs the public schools in Lester.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Lester, 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 Lester.
Power comes from Appalachian Power
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Lester. 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 Lester Municipal Water Works
Lester Municipal Water Works supplies almost all of Lester. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Raleigh County PSD Arnett as seller) and serves 665 people in all.
9 health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×5, a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule) ×4, the latest beginning Oct 2025. 78% of the 5,327 systems serving 501–1,000 people had none. 4 older violations are still open, since 2024: a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule), per EPA’s records.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2020–Dec 2022, was 14.1 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 99% 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. WV3304115.
3 home internet providers serve Lester
80% of 213 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 0% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimum | Cable | 78% | 940/35 |
| Frontier | DSL | 66% | 115/7 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 41% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
We don’t have Lester’s trash rules yet
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Lester.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Lester is in Raleigh 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.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Lester is in ZIP code 25865
ZIP codes where Lester residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Lester | ZIP’s residents in Lester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25865 | Lester, WV | 100% | 20% |
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 Lester
Who supplies Lester’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Lester Municipal Water Works (EPA ID WV3304115). It reported 9 health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026: disinfection byproducts (HAA5) ×5, a surface water treatment requirement (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule) ×4. 78% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 14.1 ppb (Jan 2020–Dec 2022), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Lester?
Appalachian Power (Appalachian Power Co), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 17.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Lester?
Optimum, Frontier, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Lester?
25865. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Lester in?
Raleigh County School District.
How do I register to vote in Lester?
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 Raleigh 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.