Goal of aquifer study is to benefit residents and farmers in northeast Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JULY 28, 2026 -- Work is continuing in northeast Missouri, where team members with the Department of Natural Resources are conducting studies to locate aquifers for the region’s residents and agricultural community. The latest efforts are taking place this summer in Adair, Knox and Lewis counties, and follow the successful conclusion of research in Schuyler, Scotland and Clark counties earlier this year. The final phase of the aquifer study will include Macon, Shelby and Marion counties. The study’s final conclusions, maps and other information are due to be released to the public next year.

The primary factor for launching the aquifer study is to provide an alternate source of water to increase drought resiliency in northeast Missouri. The Department of Natural Resources leads the state’s response in times of drought, and since 2020 the state has experienced severe and prolonged periods of dryness.

“Many of the worst drought outcomes have significantly impacted northeast Missouri due to that region’s reliance on surface water,” said Kurt Schaefer, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “The department received feedback from residents in that region asking for help to find new and innovative ways to assist those areas most in need of attention. The goal of this aquifer study is to find potable sources of groundwater that may be accessible and of great value for northeast Missouri.”

“Our work in northeast Missouri was inspired by our previous efforts in northwest Missouri, where geologists located aquifers within the region’s buried glacial till during the 1950s,” said Scott Kaden, MoDNR’s groundwater section chief. “For generations, those aquifers have been a vital resource for residents and the agricultural community in northwest Missouri. Our goals for this aquifer study are to see if we can create those same opportunities in northeast Missouri that we did on the other side of the state.”

As part of the aquifer study, Kaden said information about northeast Missouri’s subsurface is being collected from multiple sources. These include geologists collecting boreholes logs and passive seismic data on public lands. Helicopters are also conducting low-flying airborne electromagnetic surveys. Kaden said these efforts have stirred curiosity for some residents, but concern among others. 

“Data centers have been in the news, and there have been some rumors spread online our work for this aquifer study is part of a data center development,” Kaden said. “This study is not the result of a data center request, but is instead the continuation of a project that originally began in the 1950s. The department’s Water Resources Center implements the priorities identified in the Missouri Water Resources Plan. This study fulfills numerous recommendations set forth in the plan, including providing water supply for livestock and pasture production during periods of drought.”

Visit the Northeast Missouri Aquifer Characterization Project webpage to learn more about the MoDNR’s aquifer study in northeast Missouri.