D&D General A Question about Waterdeep - Where does the Drinking Water come from?

[Hussar]

Ok, been noodling around with dumpster diving Forgotten Realms and specifically Waterdeep lore. And, I was planning something for use in Waterdeep. I wanted to introduce the idea of Battagliola (https://www.thearma.org/essays/BridgeWars.htm#.ZF7dt85ByUk) or stick fighting/mock combat on bridges in Venice in the late Middle Ages. But, there's a problem. There are no rivers in Waterdeep. None. In a city of several hundred thousand people, there are no actual freshwater sources.

Now, again, noodling around the web, the answer that was given is that Waterdeep has lots of wells. This is a huge problem though for a city that's (mostly) on sea level, any water in a well would likely be salt water. You don't get wells in ports. ((Note, there is an equal problem with the notion that Waterdeep has sewers - but, that's a problem for another day)). So, where do all these people get their water from?

Seems a bit of an oversight really. After all, Baldur's Gate has a honking big river, and so does Neverwinter. But, Waterdeep is nowhere near an actual fresh water source.

 

[Lazvon]

The name is literally water deep… underground river, IIRC.

 

[Mort]

My Personal favorite from around the web:

Gnomish water desalination plan powered by an elemental reactor in the dock ward.

Explains things, magical, and rife for sabotage for the PCs to at some point get involved with.

 

[Zardnaar]

Ima guessing there's no aqueducts either.

 

[Zardnaar]

The name is literally water deep… underground river, IIRC.

Refers to the harbor iirc.

 

[Oofta]

Industrial size decanters of endless water? The wells magically tap into the plane of water? Purple worms were used to dig underground tunnels that bring in water? Ed Greenwood has no concept of how real cities worked?

Nah, couldn't be that last one!

 

[Richards]

The name is literally water deep… underground river, IIRC.

That's always been my assumption.

Johnathan

 

[Jaeger]

...But, there's a problem. There are no rivers in Waterdeep. None. In a city of several hundred thousand people,
...Seems a bit of an oversight really. After all, Baldur's Gate has a honking big river, and so does Neverwinter. But, Waterdeep is nowhere near an actual fresh water source.

Forgotten Realms world building has Never been the best.

Waterdeep has fresh water ‘Because Dragons’ is about as good a reason as any...

 

[Flamestrike]

Magical plumbing most likely.

Decanters of endless water (or the equivalent), loaded in banks, feeding water to homes in the city.

 

[Hussar]

Oooh, I like the gnomish desalination plant idea. You could build an entire guild around that. What a power center. Literally the guys that keep the city alive.