I started up a new fort last night to try out .31.10 - genned up a new world and embarked next to an ocean.
It's a nice little spot... Lots of sand, some coal, flux stones. I've got the ocean, lots of murky pools, some cliffs, and a river.
One of the first things I did is dig out some space for my farms. Typically I designate some ponds and tell my dwarves to fill them. But that didn't work this time. They kept complaining about no water source. So I tried to designate one of the murky pools as a water source - didn't work. Designating the river didn't work either. I assume this is because they're saltwater. So, I've got some questions...
Is this normal? I knew the ocean would be saltwater, but I kind of thought the murky pools or at least the river would be freshwater. So, is it normal for all the water to be salt? What about aquifers? There's supposed to be an aquifer somewhere on the map - will it be salt or fresh?
What about irrigation? I've got a well under construction, which should make my bucket brigade happy... But what if I just tap a murky pool? Can I use saltwater to irrigate a field? Will I get farmable plots?
What about desalination? If I understand correctly, a screw pump will desalinate the water. And as long as it doesn't touch natural stone (I'll have to smooth the walls/floor of my cistern) it should stay fresh. Is this accurate?
Is there any way to tell what is salt or fresh? If I look at a tile of water, it just says "Water 7/7" - there's no indication (that I have seen) that tells me whether it is fresh water or salt water. Am I missing something?