Water pollution

Water pollution is a type of pollution generated by industrial waste in Captain of Industry. It is created primarily when liquid waste is dumped directly, and it can also come from untreated byproducts if factory outputs are not handled properly. Compared with other pollution types, it is the most damaging per unit, making it one of the most important environmental issues to control as production scales up.

Water pollution reduces population Health by 0.11 per unit. The penalty is calculated from the average pollution over the last 4 months, and the total Health loss is capped at -40 Health. This means even moderate pollution levels can have a noticeable effect: 10 units per month lowers Health by about 1.1, 100 units lowers it by 11, and 364 units reaches the maximum penalty.

• Liquid Dump directly releases liquid waste as water pollution.
• Untreated byproducts can become a pollution source if they are not processed correctly.
• Water pollution is about 2.5 times stronger than air pollution or vehicle pollution, which each apply only -0.044 Health per unit.
• The Wastewater Treatment plant is used to neutralize pollution sources associated with wastewater handling.
• A Sour Water Stripper is used to treat sour water and prevent pollution.
• Balancing production so that byproducts and fertilizer do not overflow helps avoid unnecessary dumping.
• With proper waste management, water pollution can be eliminated entirely in the mid-game, making it a major priority for restoring and maintaining Health.