Benton County, IA Water Table Trend
Benton County's groundwater trend, from USGS's own readings
Benton County's long-term well puts the trend at 1.3 ft per decade, rising, getting shallower over time, based on 9 measurements since 1998.
One well stands in for Benton 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 13.5 ft below land surface. Readings span 1998-06-30 to 2026-08-25, 9 measurements from USGS well USGS-415147092115301 (082n12w36ccdc), part of the National Water Information System. The qualifying bar and the OLS fit behind this trend are documented in the methodology guide.
Where Benton County ranks
Of the 1,449 US counties with a usable trend, Benton County ranks 198th from fastest-rising to fastest-declining, 1 is the fastest-rising water table measured, 1449 the fastest-declining. About 25,799 people live in Benton County, Iowa. See the fastest-moving counties guide for how Benton County stacks up against the most extreme cases nationally.
A dropping table says nothing about water quality
Whether Benton 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.