Power, water, and sewage: connections before expansion

1. Check the road network, not a pipe route

Water and sewage follow connected roads. The simulation searches outward from facilities through the road network and prioritizes nearby connected buildings when assigning limited capacity. A missing road segment can leave a district unserved even when the citywide gauge shows spare capacity. Repair that connection first. Distance along the network matters to allocation; drawing a separate pipe route or looking for a downhill drain is not part of this system.

2. Reserve two suitable coastal sites

The Coastal Water Pump and Wastewater Plant each occupy 2 × 4 tiles. Their short side must face adjacent beach tiles; the placement preview can rotate the footprint to fit. Being merely close to a river or the sea is not enough. Give both facilities road access, but do not crowd the intake beside sewage discharge. The intake can supply contaminated water even with adequate capacity. Check its intake-status warning and move one facility farther away when contamination is reported.

3. Calculate water and sewage separately

The residential base rates are 0.05 water and 0.15 sewage per resident, rounded up in the relevant demand calculation. A 200-resident building therefore contributes 10 water and 30 sewage before other consumers are counted. Public facilities and other building types add demand, so these figures are not a complete city budget. Read both gauges: a water upgrade does not automatically mean that the same sewage upgrade is needed, and equal capacity numbers do not serve equal populations.

4. Budget an operating pair

For a district beside an existing connected road, reserve 14,000 coins to build this pair, 720 coins per hour in operating upkeep, and 75 kW of available power. This excludes roads, the power plant, other facilities, and their upkeep. Leave the two coastal footprints free and connect each to the district without placing the pump beside the discharge. Both facilities have a base construction time of 10 minutes; capacity still under construction is not operating capacity.

Before confirming construction, open the power view and check the extra 75 kW against available generation. A stopped pump or treatment plant cannot provide its advertised capacity. If an existing facility has lost power or road access, restoring it may solve the shortage without another purchase. Expand generation when the planned consumers need it, while retaining cash for ongoing upkeep.

Troubleshoot in this order

1. Open the affected building and read its status. Distinguish no road, no power, no water, sewage backup, and contaminated water; low growth alone does not identify the cause.
2. Select the supplying facility. Check that construction is finished and that the facility is enabled, connected to roads, and powered.
3. Trace a continuous road connection from the facility to the affected district. Rejoin a broken branch before spending on extra capacity.
4. Open the Water and Sewage views separately. Compare current usage, total capacity, and remaining capacity; do not count the construction addition as ready supply.
5. If connected distant buildings are left out while capacity is exhausted, add the deficient utility. Check a new facility's coast, road access, power, and upkeep before placing it.
6. If capacity is sufficient but the intake reports contaminated water, separate the pump from sewage discharge and check its status again. More water output is not the remedy for polluted intake water.

Test the connection before expanding

In the trial city, inspect one facility and follow its road to a residential building. Compare their status with the two utility gauges. Once supply is confirmed, use the building comparison to plan the next expense; do not infer a utility fault from population or tax income alone.

The playable trial is for signed-out visitors. If you are signed in, this link opens your profile.