The industries employed an estimated 1,242 people. Most of the businesses in Mahaska County purchase their water from a PWS or obtain their water from a private supply not requiring a permit. There are no water use permits for industry in Mahaska County. There is no power production in Mahaska County. Mining Water Use Mining in Mahaska County consists of sand and gravel extraction.
Activity varies from year to year based upon construction needs.
One water permit was issued for mining in the 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 30.2 percent of wells tested for nitrates exceeded the recommended maximum. These test results are based on non-random samples. A 1993 study of Radon-222 in Iowa's PWS included 1 sample site in Mahaska County.