DeKalb County, IL Water Table Trend
Is the water table dropping in DeKalb County, IL?
DeKalb County's long-term well puts the trend at 47.9 ft per decade, rising, getting shallower over time, based on 11 measurements since 1986.
One well stands in for DeKalb 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 230 ft below land surface. Readings span 1986-09-15 to 2020-05-07, 11 measurements from USGS well USGS-415552088465601 (40n 4e-21.4f1), part of the National Water Information System. The qualifying bar and the OLS fit behind this trend are documented in the methodology guide.
Where DeKalb County ranks
Of the 1,449 US counties with a usable trend, DeKalb County ranks 1st from fastest-rising to fastest-declining, 1 is the fastest-rising water table measured, 1449 the fastest-declining. About 101,335 people live in DeKalb County, Illinois. See the fastest-moving counties guide for how DeKalb County stacks up against the most extreme cases nationally.
A dropping table says nothing about water quality
Whether DeKalb 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.