Shelby County, MO Water Table Trend
Shelby County's groundwater trend, from USGS's own readings
Over 25 years of USGS readings, the well tracking Shelby County's aquifer is declining, slower than most declining counties: 0.9 ft per decade.
This is one representative well, not a county-wide survey, the same grain limit every page here discloses.
Shelby County's source well, in detail
Depth to water at the last reading was 29.7 ft below land surface. Readings span 2001-09-12 to 2026-06-09, 72 measurements from USGS well MO005-394156092030201 (Shelbina), part of the National Water Information System. The qualifying bar and the OLS fit behind this trend are documented in the methodology guide.
How Shelby County compares nationally
Shelby County sits at rank 1051st 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. Shelby County, Missouri is home to about 5,926 people. See the fastest-moving counties guide for how Shelby County stacks up against the most extreme cases nationally.
If you own a well in Shelby County
A dropping water table means a residential pump has to reach deeper and work harder, which shortens its life. In Shelby County, that trend is real, not assumed: 0.9 ft per decade over 25 years.
Depth and quality are separate questions
This page answers a depth question, not a quality one. A well in Shelby 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.