Oxygen and resource loops
Polluted Water Recycling
Routing Polluted Water to a compatible plant or Water Sieve can recover useful value from a colony waste stream.
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Polluted Water Recycling
Use a segregated Polluted Water pipe from bathroom or other polluted-water sources to a Water Sieve or a crop that accepts it. Keep the clean output route separate from incoming polluted liquid.
Before you go
- Polluted Water source and a planned destination.
- Water Sieve and filtration medium if cleaning water, or a compatible crop such as Thimble Reed.
- Separate pipe routing and storage for polluted and clean water.
- Germ monitoring when the source is bathroom output.
Farming steps
- Identify the Polluted Water source and keep its pipe separate from clean-water supply lines.
- Choose whether the priority is clean water from a Water Sieve or material production from a compatible crop.
- For a crop route, verify the plant accepts Polluted Water and provide the appropriate farming building.
- For a sieve route, connect the polluted input, supply filtration medium, and route the clean output to a designated reservoir.
- Check germ status on output from bathroom systems before connecting it to a sensitive use.
- Monitor pipe flow and storage so the destination does not back up or run dry.
- Use harvested crop output or cleaned water in its intended production chain.
- A Water Sieve changes polluted water into clean water, but germs can persist; track sanitation separately.
- Thimble Reed consumes Polluted Water while producing Reed Fiber, so it can turn a waste stream into a material crop.
Repeat, collect and use
The loop repeats whenever new Polluted Water arrives and the selected destination has capacity and inputs. Collect Reed Fiber from crops or clean Water from the sieve; manage germs and storage on every cycle.
Common mistakes
- Connecting bathroom output directly to a germ-sensitive reservoir; check germ levels and plan treatment before use.
- Mixing polluted and clean water routes; keep separate pipes and reservoirs.
- Sending an incompatible liquid to a crop; verify the plant’s irrigation requirement before plumbing it.
When to stop or switch
Stop routing into a full reservoir or a crop area that cannot use the volume. Change the destination or add capacity when the current loop backs up, and retain germ controls for bathroom-derived water.
Sources & fact checks
What you can get here
Open a guide to find other locations and see what the item is used for.