The wet strip left a mark on Valen’s desk.
The worker who brought it apologized for the water. Valen read the measured rise before looking at his blotter.
“When?”
The man gave the interval. It followed the first posted external return restriction, received and confirmed by the cordon crew earlier that day.
The drainage assistance had slowed. The local operating assessment said the channel should remain within its range.
The strip disagreed.
Valen took the map, the work orders, and a small crew. At the service stair he stopped to have two stored sacks moved clear. They would need the route if a precautionary check became something larger.
At the lower floodworks, an operator had fitted a longer bar to the main wheel.
