Some continued decline is anticipated in the next 20 years. Domestic water use during the next 20 years in Mahaska County will rise slightly as a result of a population increase and some increase in the per-capita consumption rate. In Mahaska County current water use is limited for industry and mining. There are no power production facilities consuming water in Mahaska County. Any future change in water uses for industry, mining and power production could have a large impact on total water use in the county.
Wells supply water for many communities, farms, and industries in southeastern Iowa.
The water from these wells comes from deposits of earth materials and layered rocks whose characteristics and locations are constant enough to allow fairly reliable predictions as to their location and water-yielding potential. Rocks that store and transmit water are called aquifers. All parts of southeastern Iowa are underlain by three or four aquifers. The unconsolidated deposits near the land surface comprise the surficial aquifer. Underlying the surficial aquifers are several layers of consolidated sedimentary rock collectively called bedrock.