Water is one of the key resources in Cities Skylines 2 that you can use for covering the city’s demands and exporting. Before the residents move in, there must be a constant water flow from a source. Once they are satisfied, you can ease your budget by using water for trade and make a good sum.
I will explain the process of finding the water, taking it to your city, and finally exporting it.
Water Sources in Cities Skylines 2
To get water, you must have a source directly linked from the water body to the city. In Cities Skylines 2, you can get water from either a source on the surface or extract groundwater.
Surface water is the open water bodies that are present in each map of the game. They can be from lakes and rivers to large seas connected to the land on one side. However, the water can get polluted easily due to being in open air. To avoid polluted water, you’ll need to install filters early on.
Groundwater is new to Cities Skylines 2, giving a more accessible option for cities. Groundwater is also present on every map. Along with providing water to cities, it is a beneficial asset for industrial zones as it can give water to any industry that needs it.
Groundwater is a good option for smaller-scale cities as it is unreliable for the long run. The groundwater dries up, which can force you to turn to surface water sources.
How to supply water to the city
Supplying the water to the city is the next step after getting it from the source. For this step, you need to have pumping stations that will take the water to citizens. There are two types of pumping stations, both according to the water source used in Cities Skylines 2.
Both pumps work in a similar manner of getting the water and transporting it to the city via water lines. Unfortunately, both are susceptible to pollution, so using a water filter is also recommended. The only difference is that the Basic Water pumping station is installed near the water body so that water can be pumped.
On the other hand, Groundwater pumping takes water from the ground, which means it can be installed anywhere groundwater is available.
How Water Exporting Works
With the constant water flow into your city, you can make money by exporting the excess to other cities in Cities Skylines 2.
Go to the water tab and select the size of the water pump you want to install. The water pump comes in different sizes, so you can select the one that you think would work best according to the demand of your city.
Make sure the pump is by the edge of the land so it’s halfway over the water. Once placed, connect the pump to the town by using a road. Roads have a built-in pipe system, so building a road connects it to the city.
Next, you need to find the edge of the city. If you zoom out, you can see the ending tiles of the city with dotted lines. This determines the limit of the buildable space. For the water to export, you need to buy tiles until this city limit on any side of the map is reached. Go to the tiles option and buy tiles until you reach the end.
Lastly, go to the water tab again and select the water pipe. Connect the water pipe to the pump and stretch it until you reach the end. As you get the dotted line, you can see double-head arrows. This will determine that the pipe installed will have an outside connection.
Once established, check the Budget tab and Revenues menu. You’ll soon notice the change in trade with the arrow now on the green part, signaling that water export has been successful.
