Floodgates, Dams, and Water Control

Overview of Water Control in Timberborn

Water is the single most important resource in Timberborn. Your beavers need it for drinking, your crops need it for irrigation, and your power buildings need flowing water to generate energy. Without a reliable water supply, even the most well-planned colony will collapse during its first prolonged drought. Controlling water effectively is therefore the cornerstone of every successful settlement.

Timberborn provides several structures for managing water flow: dams, levees, floodgates, and (for the Iron Teeth faction) sluices. Each of these serves a distinct purpose, and understanding how they interact is critical. Dams and levees block water passively, while floodgates give you active control over whether water passes through and at what depth. By combining these structures, you can build reservoirs, redirect rivers, isolate badwater contamination, and ensure your colony survives even the longest dry seasons.

This guide covers everything from basic dam placement to advanced techniques like T-valve diversions and cascading reservoir systems. Whether you are dealing with your first drought or trying to tame a map with multiple water sources, you will find practical strategies here.

Dam Basics: Placement, Height, and Water Blocking

Dams are the simplest water control structure available, unlocked from the very start of the game. A single dam occupies one tile and blocks water up to 0.5 units in height. This makes dams ideal for shallow streams and for plugging small gaps where water might escape. They are cheap, requiring only 2 logs each, and beavers can build them quickly. You should place dams wherever you need a low, permanent barrier.

Dams can be stacked on top of each other, with each additional layer adding another 0.5 units of water blocking height. A stack of four dams therefore blocks up to 2.0 units of water. When stacking, keep in mind that beavers need access to the construction site, so building very tall dam walls may require temporary platforms or stairs on one side. Also remember that dams cannot be opened or closed; once placed, they always block water.

Placement matters significantly. Always seal your dam walls completely with no gaps, since water will flow through any opening. Build dams across the narrowest point of a riverbed to minimize material costs. If you are building across a wide channel, consider whether a floodgate in the center might give you more flexibility than a solid wall of dams.

Levees: How They Differ from Dams and How to Stack Them

Levees are the upgraded version of dams. Each levee occupies one tile and blocks a full 1.0 unit of water height, twice as much as a standard dam. This makes levees far more efficient for building tall barriers. However, they are more expensive, costing 4 logs each, and they take longer to construct. Levees become available after researching them in the science menu.

Like dams, levees can be stacked vertically. A stack of three levees blocks 3.0 units of water, which is sufficient for most reservoir designs. You can also mix dams and levees in a single stack. For example, placing two levees topped with a dam gives you 2.5 units of blocking height, which can be a cost-effective solution when you need just a bit more height than two levees alone provide.

One key advantage of levees is that beavers and other structures can be placed on top of them, since they function as solid terrain once built. This means you can incorporate levees into your district layout, using them as foundations for buildings near the waterline. Platforms and paths on top of levees also provide construction access for building higher stacks without needing separate scaffolding.

Floodgates: Variants, Height Adjustment, and Active Control

Floodgates are the most versatile water control structures in the game. Unlike dams and levees, floodgates can be opened and closed, and their height can be adjusted in 0.5-unit increments. This allows you to precisely control how much water passes through at any given time. There are three main sizes: the small floodgate (1 tile wide, though sometimes called the 2-tile because it spans 2 tiles in certain orientations), the medium floodgate (2 tiles wide), and the large floodgate (3 tiles wide).

Each floodgate has a maximum blocking height determined by its construction. The standard floodgate blocks up to 1.0 unit when fully closed, while double and triple floodgates (stacked variants) can block 2.0 or 3.0 units respectively. When you adjust the height slider, you set the threshold at which water spills over. For example, setting a floodgate to 0.5 means water above 0.5 units will flow through, while water below that level is retained. Setting it to 0.0 opens the gate completely, and setting it to the maximum closes it entirely.

A critical detail about floodgates is that height changes are not instant. When you adjust a floodgate, a beaver must physically travel to the structure and operate it. This means you should plan for response time, especially in emergencies like rising badwater. Place floodgates where your beavers can reach them quickly, and consider assigning a nearby district to ensure someone is always close. The Folktails faction gets a unique triple floodgate, while Iron Teeth have access to mechanized variants that respond more quickly.

How to Build a Reservoir

A reservoir is simply an area where water is stored behind barriers for later use. The most basic reservoir design involves building a dam or levee wall across a river channel, letting water pool behind it during wet seasons, and then releasing it (or simply relying on the stored volume) during droughts. To estimate capacity, remember that each tile holds water equal to its depth multiplied by 1.0 unit per tile. A 10-tile-long, 5-tile-wide channel with 2.0 units of water depth holds 100 units of water.

For an effective reservoir, you want to maximize depth and surface area. Natural depressions in the terrain are ideal locations. If the map does not offer a convenient basin, you can dig one using explosives (dynamite for Folktails, or TNT for Iron Teeth) to lower the terrain. Alternatively, build levee walls around a flat area to create an above-ground reservoir. Either way, ensure the walls are tall enough. A good rule of thumb is to build walls at least 1.0 unit higher than your target water depth to prevent overflow during the wet season.

Include at least one floodgate in your reservoir wall. This gives you the ability to release water downstream when needed, rather than relying solely on overflow. Position your water pumps inside the reservoir to ensure they always have access to water, even when levels drop. For large colonies, consider building multiple smaller reservoirs rather than one massive one, as this provides redundancy and lets you manage water for different districts independently.

Controlling Water Flow During Droughts

Droughts are the primary threat in Timberborn, and your water control strategy must account for them from the very beginning. When a drought hits, the water source at the map edge stops flowing. Any water currently on the map will begin to evaporate and drain away. Without stored water, your crops will die, your beavers will become thirsty, and your colony will rapidly decline. The key to surviving droughts is preparation: store as much water as possible before the drought arrives.

During a drought, close all your floodgates completely to retain every drop. If you have multiple reservoir sections connected by floodgates, keep them sealed to prevent water from spreading too thin across a large area (which accelerates evaporation due to greater surface exposure). Focus your water pumps on the deepest part of your reservoir, where the last remaining water will collect. Shut down any non-essential buildings that consume water to extend your supply.

Pay attention to drought duration as the game progresses. Early droughts may last only 2 to 4 days, but later droughts can stretch to 10, 15, or even 20+ days on harder difficulty settings. Scale your reservoir capacity accordingly. A good benchmark is to store at least 3.0 water units per beaver for a moderate drought. For longer droughts, aim for 5.0 or more per beaver, plus additional reserves for irrigation if you are farming.

Badwater Isolation with Floodgates

Badwater is contaminated water that damages crops, trees, and beavers on contact. It flows from specific badwater sources on certain maps and mixes freely with clean water if not contained. The primary defense against badwater is isolation: use floodgates and levees to prevent contaminated water from reaching your clean water supply. This is one of the most important applications of floodgates in the mid-to-late game.

To isolate badwater, identify where it enters your waterways and build a floodgate barrier upstream of your colony. During normal flow, keep the floodgate open so clean water passes through. When badwater begins to flow (which happens on a cycle), close the floodgate immediately to seal off the contaminated water. The badwater will pool behind your barrier, and once it recedes or evaporates, you can reopen the gate. Timing is critical, so watch the badwater indicators carefully and close your gates before the contamination reaches them.

For maps with persistent badwater sources, consider building a dedicated diversion channel that routes contaminated water away from your settlement entirely. Use floodgates at the junction to control which path the water takes. You can also use pumps and dump sites to actively remove badwater from areas where it has pooled. On maps where badwater and clean water sources are close together, double-wall your barriers with levees for extra safety, since a single leak can contaminate an entire reservoir.

Advanced Techniques: T-Valve Diversions

A T-valve diversion is an advanced water routing technique that uses floodgates at a T-shaped junction to direct water flow into one of two (or more) channels. Build a main channel that splits into two branches, then place a floodgate at the entrance of each branch. By opening one gate and closing the other, you can redirect the entire river to whichever branch you choose. This is invaluable for alternating water between two farming districts, filling a secondary reservoir while a primary one is full, or routing water around obstacles.

To build an effective T-valve, make sure the two branch channels are roughly equal in elevation at the split point. If one branch is significantly lower than the other, water will naturally prefer the lower path regardless of gate settings. Dig the channels to the same depth and line the junction area with levees to prevent leakage. Place your floodgates right at the junction, not further downstream, to ensure responsive control. A well-designed T-valve lets you switch water direction in seconds once a beaver reaches the gate.

You can extend this concept to create multi-way valves with three or four branches, though each additional branch adds complexity. Label your floodgates clearly (using the rename feature) so you can quickly identify which gate controls which direction. On larger maps, T-valve networks can form the backbone of a colony-wide irrigation system, delivering water to exactly where it is needed at any given time.

Advanced Techniques: Cascading Reservoirs

Cascading reservoirs are a series of connected water storage basins arranged at descending elevations, each linked by floodgates. The highest reservoir fills first from the water source, and when it overflows or when you open its outflow gate, water cascades down to the next reservoir, and so on. This design maximizes total storage capacity across a sloped map and gives you fine-grained control over water distribution.

When designing a cascade, aim for an elevation drop of 1.0 to 2.0 units between each reservoir. This ensures that gravity moves water efficiently from one level to the next when gates are opened. Build the largest reservoir at the top, since it receives water directly from the source. Lower reservoirs can be smaller, as they serve more as buffers and distribution points. Place water pumps at the lowest reservoir to serve your main settlement, since water will naturally accumulate there.

During droughts, manage your cascade from top to bottom. Keep the upper gates closed initially to preserve water at higher elevations. As lower reservoirs run dry, open the gates one level at a time to release stored water downhill. This staged approach can extend your drought survival time significantly compared to a single large reservoir, because you minimize surface area exposure and therefore reduce evaporation losses at each level.

Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting

One of the most frequent mistakes is leaving gaps in dam or levee walls. Water physics in Timberborn are unforgiving: a single missing tile in a wall will drain your entire reservoir. Always double-check your barriers from multiple camera angles before relying on them. Use the water overlay (accessible from the bottom toolbar) to visualize current water levels and spot leaks. If your reservoir is draining and you cannot find the gap, look at corners and edges where walls meet natural terrain, as these junctions are easy to miss.

Another common error is building walls that are too short. Players often build 1.0-unit levee walls and then wonder why water overflows during heavy flow periods. Water depth can spike significantly when a river channel narrows, and during the wet season, source output may increase. Always build your walls with a safety margin of at least 0.5 to 1.0 units above the expected water level. It is cheaper to over-build your walls than to deal with flooding destroying your crops and buildings.

Forgetting to close floodgates before a drought is another costly mistake. Get into the habit of closing your reservoir gates as soon as you see a drought warning. If you wait too long, water will flow out of your reservoir and evaporate downstream before you can save it. Similarly, forgetting to reopen gates after a drought ends means your downstream areas will not refill, and crops there will continue to suffer. Consider pausing the game when a drought starts or ends so you can adjust all your floodgates without time pressure. Finally, avoid placing power-generating water wheels directly behind floodgates, because opening and closing the gate disrupts flow and reduces power output. Instead, place water wheels in sections of the river that maintain steady flow.