McHenry County, ND Water Table Trend
McHenry County, ND: what the water table is actually doing
Over 45 years of USGS readings, the well tracking McHenry County's aquifer is declining at a typical pace for a declining county: 2 ft per decade.
One well stands in for McHenry 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 79.8 ft below land surface. Readings span 1976-05-20 to 2021-07-15, 514 measurements from USGS well USGS-480913100372501 (154-077-18ccc), part of the National Water Information System. The qualifying bar and the OLS fit behind this trend are documented in the methodology guide.
Where McHenry County ranks
Of the 1,449 US counties with a usable trend, McHenry County ranks 1184th from fastest-rising to fastest-declining, 1 is the fastest-rising water table measured, 1449 the fastest-declining. About 5,135 people live in McHenry County, North Dakota. See the fastest-moving counties guide for how McHenry County stacks up against the most extreme cases nationally.
What a declining table means for a well pump
Because McHenry 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 McHenry 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.