Stream Gauge

The Stream Gauge is a decorative building that provides precise, read-only information about nearby water. It reports depth, greatest depth recorded, current (flow rate), and contamination of the water at its location. The Stream Gauge was originally called Depth Marker and appears as a small marker placed in or beside water; it is classified in the Decoration tool group.

The gauge displays four key fluid statistics: depth in meters, greatest depth (the maximum water level the gauge has observed) in meters, current as a flow rate (m³/s), and contamination as a percentage of bad water. These values are intended for monitoring and planning rather than directly altering water behavior; the Stream Gauge does not modify water, block flow, or produce resources.

Players use Stream Gauges to inform water-management decisions. Knowing current and depth helps place water wheels and estimate the available horsepower at a given river point (current readings let players calculate potential output, though a water wheel cannot occupy the exact tile as the gauge). Tracking depth and greatest depth is valuable for reservoir management and flood planning when building levees and dams. The contamination readout assists with siting wells and filtration systems to avoid polluted sources.

Practical notes and interactions:

• Place gauges at representative points along rivers, behind dams, or at reservoir edges to monitor local conditions over time; the greatest depth retains the peak water level observed.
• Use current (m³/s) readings to compare potential sites for water wheels; combine the flow number with wheel placement rules to estimate expected power.
• Multiple gauges can be used to map variations in flow and pollution across a water body, especially where currents or contamination change between upstream and downstream locations.
• The Stream Gauge is informational only and can be moved or removed without affecting water physics.
• The item has appeared in trailers for Update 1 and Update 5 and received updates across versions: renamed from Depth Marker to Stream Gauge in Update 1, audio improvements in Update 3, and contamination display added in Update 5.