diff --git a/apps/opencs/model/world/nestedcoladapterimp.cpp b/apps/opencs/model/world/nestedcoladapterimp.cpp
index 13ae821a77..ea3a3bde26 100644
--- a/apps/opencs/model/world/nestedcoladapterimp.cpp
+++ b/apps/opencs/model/world/nestedcoladapterimp.cpp
@@ -996,7 +996,10 @@ namespace CSMWorld
             case 5:
             {
                 if (isInterior && interiorWater)
+                {
                     cell.mWater = value.toFloat();
+                    cell.setHasWater(true);
+                }
                 else
                     return; // return without saving
                 break;
diff --git a/components/esm3/loadcell.cpp b/components/esm3/loadcell.cpp
index 5b8521f9a1..f550c190cb 100644
--- a/components/esm3/loadcell.cpp
+++ b/components/esm3/loadcell.cpp
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ namespace ESM
         bool overriding = !mName.empty();
         bool isLoaded = false;
         mHasAmbi = false;
+        mHasWater = false;
         while (!isLoaded && esm.hasMoreSubs())
         {
             esm.getSubName();
@@ -133,6 +134,7 @@ namespace ESM
                     float waterLevel;
                     esm.getHT(waterLevel);
                     mWaterInt = false;
+                    mHasWater = true;
                     if (!std::isfinite(waterLevel))
                     {
                         if (!overriding)
@@ -193,7 +195,7 @@ namespace ESM
             // Try to avoid saving ambient information when it's unnecessary.
             // This is to fix black lighting and flooded water
             // in resaved cell records that lack this information.
-            if (mWaterInt && mWater != 0)
+            if (mHasWater)
                 esm.writeHNT("WHGT", mWater);
             if (mData.mFlags & QuasiEx)
                 esm.writeHNOCRefId("RGNN", mRegion);
@@ -323,6 +325,7 @@ namespace ESM
         mData.mY = 0;
 
         mHasAmbi = true;
+        mHasWater = true;
         mAmbi.mAmbient = 0;
         mAmbi.mSunlight = 0;
         mAmbi.mFog = 0;
diff --git a/components/esm3/loadcell.hpp b/components/esm3/loadcell.hpp
index bfabdd58f9..d54ba9573a 100644
--- a/components/esm3/loadcell.hpp
+++ b/components/esm3/loadcell.hpp
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ namespace ESM
             , mHasAmbi(true)
             , mWater(0)
             , mWaterInt(false)
+            , mHasWater(false)
             , mMapColor(0)
             , mRefNumCounter(0)
         {
@@ -132,6 +133,7 @@ namespace ESM
 
         float mWater; // Water level
         bool mWaterInt;
+        bool mHasWater;
         int32_t mMapColor;
         // Counter for RefNums. This is only used during content file editing and has no impact on gameplay.
         // It prevents overwriting previous refNums, even if they were deleted.
@@ -163,6 +165,8 @@ namespace ESM
 
         bool hasWater() const { return ((mData.mFlags & HasWater) != 0) || isExterior(); }
 
+        void setHasWater(bool hasWater) { mHasWater = hasWater; }
+
         bool hasAmbient() const { return mHasAmbi; }
 
         void setHasAmbient(bool hasAmbi) { mHasAmbi = hasAmbi; }