Iron County, MI Water Table Trend
Is the water table dropping in Iron County, MI?
Iron County's representative monitoring well shows depth to water declining, slower than most declining counties, a fitted trend of 0.7 ft per decade over 43 years of readings.
One well stands in for Iron 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 30.9 ft below land surface. Readings span 1978-06-11 to 2021-09-13, 7 measurements from USGS well USGS-460308088130601 (42n 31w 08bcd 01), part of the National Water Information System. The qualifying bar and the OLS fit behind this trend are documented in the methodology guide.
Where Iron County ranks
Of the 1,449 US counties with a usable trend, Iron County ranks 1017th from fastest-rising to fastest-declining, 1 is the fastest-rising water table measured, 1449 the fastest-declining. About 11,709 people live in Iron County, Michigan. See the fastest-moving counties guide for how Iron County stacks up against the most extreme cases nationally.
What a declining table means for a well pump
Because Iron 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 Iron 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.