Most of the businesses in Decatur County purchase their water from a PWS or obtain their water from a private supply not requiring a permit. There are four water use permits for industry in Decatur County. Currently nearly one third of water used in Decatur County is consumed by industry. There is no power production in Decatur County. Mining Water Use Mining in Decatur County consists of sand and gravel extraction.
Activity varies from year to year based upon construction needs.
Four water permits were issued for mining in the county, but no water was reported as having been used for mining in Decatur County. The Iowa State-Wide Rural Well Water Survey, 1990. The UHL's test results for the county also show that in an average year 19.6 percent of wells tested for nitrates exceeded the recommended maximum. These results are based on non-random samples. The University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory, Private Well Water Quality, 1990-1994.