40d Talk:Aquifer

Toady mentioned somewhere that, at the moment, only subterrainian water sources can grow towercaps. He then explicitly mentioned underground rivers and lakes, but would an aquifer work as well? If so, given the scarcity of underground water sources, this would provide another bonus to having an aquifer.Thexor 20:10, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

I don't believe they count. AFAIK, it applies only to standing water. --JT

notes from nov1 version

this is a cleaned-up chat log from #bay12games on Nov 01 11:07 (PST). Pasting it here until the information works its way in to the wiki page.

<sinoth> VeryInky: you seem to be the aquifer expert. have you found a way to get around them without magma?

<VeryInky> Pumps. But pumps require stone. If you have access to stone, the aquifer shouldn't be that much of a problem. The key draining the aquifer square, then building floodgate.

<sinoth> so the aquifer has a finite amount of water in it, unlike brooks and rivers?

<VeryInky> Unlimited. It's an infinite water source. It's been sort of fixed in the new version, so getting past the aquifer is much easier.

<sinoth> what changed to make it easier? don't see it on the dev_notes

<VeryInky> Non dirt squares no longer automatically refill. IN other words, it's now possible to make a wall and block the aquifer. So you can build deeper; wasn't possible before.

<sinoth> ah ok, thanks much :)

<VeryInky> It's none the less MUCH easier with magma. Dig channels until you reach the aquifer, then divert magma into it. It turns into solid obsidian and you can just continue on.

<sinoth> i wasn't aware you could build pumps solely with stone. don't you need the screw thing, made out of metal or wood?

<VeryInky> Requires a stone, but you can make the screw and pipes out of wood. The problem is getting that stone. A stone.

Unmarked Aquifer?

Is it possible to have an aquifer if it was not listed on the pick an area screen? Normally if you are going to enter an area with an aquifer, I have noticed that it shows you with a band of blue at the level that it is located, and the game asks if you are sure you want to settle there. In my case, there was no aquifer listed, and I received no warning, but I cannot go below a layer of yellow sand without hitting Damp Stone (actually it is Damp Loam)

The map does have a river, do you get Aquifer with a river automatically?

You only get information on the square that your local area is centered on. Thus you can have an aquifer on part of the map without it being listed. --Ikkonoishi 21:12, 6 November 2007 (EST)

Yeah, I had a section of chalk containing an unmarked aquifer in a mostly igneous area.. luckily I was able to just dig around it. Anydwarf 01:57, 8 November 2007 (EST)

Stone method

Some maps have an aquifer that doesn't span all of the map's biomes, in which case the aquifer is easy to avoid by paying attention to where the different biomes are situated. Is that what this section is referring to, or can there really be "holes" in an aquifer? --Peristarkawan 02:46, 3 November 2007 (EDT)

I have found rock pockets in an aquifer that were dry. They are rare and hard to find, when they are there at all. Geekwad 17:05, 6 November 2007 (EST)

Related threads

More threads on aquifers:

• aquifer pumping?
• How-to: Get past the aquifer with pumps