Lincoln County, MT Water Table Trend
Lincoln County's groundwater trend, from USGS's own readings
Lincoln County's long-term well puts the trend at 0.6 ft per decade, rising, getting shallower over time, based on 161 measurements since 2000.
One well stands in for Lincoln 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 1.1 ft below land surface. Readings span 2000-06-21 to 2025-05-28, 161 measurements from USGS well USGS-480659115250501 (27n30w11daad01 Lib-06), part of the National Water Information System. The qualifying bar and the OLS fit behind this trend are documented in the methodology guide.
Where Lincoln County ranks
Of the 1,449 US counties with a usable trend, Lincoln County ranks 342nd from fastest-rising to fastest-declining, 1 is the fastest-rising water table measured, 1449 the fastest-declining. About 22,184 people live in Lincoln County, Montana. See the fastest-moving counties guide for how Lincoln County stacks up against the most extreme cases nationally.
A dropping table says nothing about water quality
Whether Lincoln 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.