Barry County, MO Water Table Trend
Barry County's groundwater trend, from USGS's own readings
Barry County's representative monitoring well shows depth to water declining faster than most declining counties, a fitted trend of 9.3 ft per decade over 95 years of readings.
One well stands in for Barry County's whole aquifer here, the honest simplification every page on this site carries.
What the well actually measured
The most recent reading put water 347.2 ft below land surface. Readings span 1931-08-01 to 2026-02-03, 64 measurements from USGS well MO005-364059093520001 (Cassville), part of the National Water Information System. The qualifying bar and the OLS fit behind this trend are documented in the methodology guide.
Where Barry County ranks
Of the 1,449 US counties with a usable trend, Barry County ranks 1380th from fastest-rising to fastest-declining, 1 is the fastest-rising water table measured, 1449 the fastest-declining. About 35,618 people live in Barry County, Missouri. See the fastest-moving counties guide for how Barry County stacks up against the most extreme cases nationally.
What a declining table means for a well pump
Because Barry County's water table is actually declining, not just a general worry, a well owner here should consider comparing home-warranty plans that cover well-pump failure before one happens.
A dropping table says nothing about water quality
Whether Barry County's water table is rising or falling is independent of what's actually in the water. Depletion can concentrate naturally-occurring minerals, so it's worth checking directly with a water test rather than assuming a depth trend says anything about quality.