McKinley County, NM Water Table Trend
Is the water table dropping in McKinley County, NM?
McKinley County's long-term well puts the trend at 8.9 ft per decade, declining faster than most declining counties, based on 12 measurements since 1921.
This is one representative well, not a county-wide survey, the same grain limit every page here discloses.
McKinley County's source well, in detail
Depth to water at the last reading was 74.9 ft below land surface. Readings span 1921-10-25 to 2019-03-28, 12 measurements from USGS well USGS-354332108165501 (17n.14w.01.340 15b-2), part of the National Water Information System. The qualifying bar and the OLS fit behind this trend are documented in the methodology guide.
How McKinley County compares nationally
McKinley County sits at rank 1376th of 1,449 ranked counties, ordered rising-to-declining, so a low number means a rising water table and a high one means fast decline. McKinley County, New Mexico is home to about 68,945 people. See the fastest-moving counties guide for how McKinley County stacks up against the most extreme cases nationally.
If you own a well in McKinley County
A dropping water table means a residential pump has to reach deeper and work harder, which shortens its life. In McKinley County, that trend is real, not assumed: 8.9 ft per decade over 97 years.
Depth and quality are separate questions
This page answers a depth question, not a quality one. A well in McKinley County can be stable in depth and still worth testing for quality, or declining and still test clean, the two are measured separately, and only a direct test settles the second one.