The county inventory of cattle and calves in the county fell 9 percent over the past 10 years, while the county inventory of hogs and pigs increased 12 percent, leading to a slight decline in water consumption for livestock. Some continued decline is anticipated in the next 20 years, which will result in less water consumption. In Mitchell County current water use is about 139 mgy for mining. There are no power production facilities consuming water in Mitchell 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 north-central Iowa.
The water from these wells comes from deposits of unconsolidated materials and layered rocks with characteristics consistent enough to allow fairly reliable predictions of their water-yielding potential. Rocks and sediments that store and transmit water are called aquifers. In north-central Iowa, there are three different surficial aquifer types and five bedrock aquifers available for use as sources of water supplies. The unconsolidated deposits of sediment near the land surface comprise the surficial aquifers and confining beds. Beneath these deposits are layers of consolidated sedimentary rock.