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[OmahaMH]

Realizing a pump stack was far in the future, I channeled a long vertical shaft into the caverns and built a well to pull water from the underground lake.  (I am in a tundra and there is absolutely nothing usable on the surface.)  I am aware of the risk this presents for unwanted entry, but I needed water to open the hospital.

The well is definitely active (shows as such, and I see the bucket going up and down) but I was getting spammed with "Urist McBonesaw cancels give water:  No water source" is that an indication that the well is busy (i.e. a long line), or will doctors not use a water source that is outside the hospital?  Knowing that wells can be stacked vertically, I went superscalar and put three more wells directly underneath that one, but that didn't address it.

Then the situation came to a head when patients died in their hospital beds from dehydration.  I wouldn't be as upset if two of them hadn't been my master brewer and my master mason!

[Wyzack]

Is it possible that it is getting backlogged because of the massive time required to draw the bucket chain up the stack you dug out? Are you sure it is even possible to draw water from it at all? It might be too tall of a distance. This is purely conjecture i dont know that much about wells.

[Urist9876]

Most of the time I have my well outside the hospital. Patients will be given water that way too.
I don't think a doctor has to do that, anyone with give food/drink enabled can take that job.

I also had quite deep wells on occasion. This works fine.

I had some issues when I covered up the hole leading into caverns with a grate. That didn't work for me.

I vaguely recall have seen similar messages when there was not enough water left in the well or when I tried to get water from still standing water.

I would check the water source and see if it is fresh water or not.

[sketchesofpayne]

Do you have enough spare buckets to haul water to and from the well?  You need a lot of them, since dwarves are constantly misplacing them.

[Saiko Kila]

My take would be looking at the drinking orders (o-z and then optionally d) to see that there's no "Zone-only drinking".

Well is Active if it has 3 or more water somewhere below. Water source (for zones) is active only if there is 2 or more water directly level below. So in this case the well may be active, but the zone (if there is a zone near well at all) would have 0 as water source. If "Prefer zone drinking" is set, and the dwarves still can't give water, then maybe giving water requires actual water drinking zone?

I can't test it, because I don't have patients right now, and I always set artificial wells as water sources (with water multiple Z-levels below, starting immediately one level below).

[PatrikLundell]

For the next time, there is a way to save the dehydrating patients: Remove the hospital (and deconstruct traction benches if they're hooked up). The patients will typically wake up and crawl to the nearest booze stockpile to drink (and if the hands are out of commission, forbid all goblets (by any name) or they'll just stand there with a goblet they can't actually use. Getting them to drop it but being unable to find a new one will get them to drink directly from the barrel).
Once all the patients have rehydrated themselves, re-enable the hospital (and rebuild traction benches).

I've had a fortress with no access to water at all, and the above strategy did eventually get the badly injured dorf back into production after a number of hospital sessions.

[OmahaMH]

Is it possible that it is getting backlogged because of the massive time required to draw the bucket chain up the stack you dug out? Are you sure it is even possible to draw water from it at all? It might be too tall of a distance. This is purely conjecture i dont know that much about wells.

It is definitely producing water because I had also designated a pond and the dwarves were slowly filling it.

My take would be looking at the drinking orders (o-z and then optionally d) to see that there's no "Zone-only drinking".

Well is Active if it has 3 or more water somewhere below. Water source (for zones) is active only if there is 2 or more water directly level below. So in this case the well may be active, but the zone (if there is a zone near well at all) would have 0 as water source. If "Prefer zone drinking" is set, and the dwarves still can't give water, then maybe giving water requires actual water drinking zone?

I can't test it, because I don't have patients right now, and I always set artificial wells as water sources (with water multiple Z-levels below, starting immediately one level below).

I'll look at those orders, thanks.

Do you have enough spare buckets to haul water to and from the well?  You need a lot of them, since dwarves are constantly misplacing them.

I'm pretty sure, but I can always build some more.

Finally, this whole thing became moot when a child beat the CMD to death with her own shoe in a fit of rage, shutting down the hospital.  He was pretty good at his job, too.

[OmahaMH]

I would check the water source and see if it is fresh water or not.

You know, I never looked at it.  I just assumed that it was, but we all know how far assumptions will get you in this goofy game.  I will check the next time I play.

[anewaname]

Do you have enough spare buckets to haul water to and from the well?  You need a lot of them, since dwarves are constantly misplacing them.

I'm pretty sure, but I can always build some more.

Also, in a tundra environment, dwarfs hauling water through aboveground tiles can end up with a bucket of frozen water. I don't know what message is displayed (if one is displayed at all), but they drop the bucket. So you may have a bunch of buckets full of frozen water somewhere.

[Sarmatian123]

Mud laced water in buckets used to be my fortress nightmare. There are some embarks with limited stale water only in cavern ponds. Though maybe there is a hope for under ground aquifer between 3rd cavern and magma sea sometimes. I still didn't find how to disable helpful Dwarves rushing with water bucket to thirsty busy Dwarves, else water could be sufficient to run hospital. Buckets are used in some industry processes and some maps are without rain, so showers can be the only way to get Dwarves clean. Now I read rain is causing emotional tantrums. How I will keep those filthy beasts clean now, eh? Rain used to be my only hope.

Just dig 20+ z-levels hole with down/up stairs on one side. Construct walls or just polish them, if those are rocks. This way you get 1x1 hole with 20+ z-levels. Then dig path to cavern's pond. I think you need also to construct its walls and floor or polish them. Just don't breach pond. Leave 2 floors to build pump between pond and your channel. Construct pump and pump in all water from pond. Pump is very important here, as it removes from water all undesirable effects. Then deconstruct pump and construct floors over the channel in cave to seal it in. You should have fresh water for ages without any dangers from flying/climbing monsters.

With Dwarves sipping bucketed water instead of alcohol, it will eventually run dry anyhow without possibility to buy barrels of water from merchants. Also Dwarves taking shower may end with some pollution ending on bottom of the well.