Beyond These Stars · Waterways
Your channel is dug, but the water has not flowed in
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Check whether the landscaping job is complete. Workers hold water back while digging beside flooded tiles. Finish the connected channel job to release it. If digging itself has stopped, inspect the Landscaper’s Debris storage before changing the water source.
Published October 20, 2026 · Windows PC · 1.0 release mechanics
Plan a channel as one job
Choose a target depth and create a small landscaping job. Select that job again to add adjacent tiles at the same intended level. Batching the channel makes its depth and completion state easier to follow than many unrelated dig orders.
- Save before reshaping a waterway serving existing homes or farms.
- Trace a connected route from the water source to the intended destination.
- Set the channel’s landscaping depth and add the remaining tiles to that job.
- Let the work finish, then check the job’s completion rather than expecting water to rush into an unfinished excavation.
- Inspect the resulting flooded route before starting the next branch.
Why the excavated edge can stay dry
The official terraforming reference describes a temporary barrier at the edge of existing water. It keeps that water out while workers dig. An unfinished project beside water can therefore look disconnected even when the intended route is correct.
If progress stops, inspect the Landscaper’s stored Debris. Excavation creates more; full storage can prevent further digging. Arrange storage or use Debris in a planned raising project, then check whether the original job resumes. Ordering more excavation does not create output space.
When you cannot select an underwater tile
In the October 19 player thread, a responder described starting a nearby dry-tile job while paused, confirming it, then editing that job to include underwater tiles. The original poster thanked them. This is a player-reported selection workaround, not a documented guarantee for every layout.
Try it in the separate save first. It is safer than immediately cutting off a water source that supplies the rest of the settlement. If the tile still cannot be added, record the selected job, target depth and water boundary rather than repeatedly altering unrelated terrain.
After flooding, check what changed at the destination. Watering dry forest can expand breathable space. Bare land may still need Compost before it becomes useful fertile ground; water supply and soil condition are separate checks. Underwater tiles cannot be composted.
Sources
Official Community Wiki: Terraforming; Biome; official beginner guide: Terraforming Options. Underwater selection report: Dig Tile Underwater?. Official instructions and original player reports checked October 20, 2026. Screenshots identify the relevant controls and states; the troubleshooting sequences are independently written, not a report of a personal game test.