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[Dimglow]

This has to be the single most bizarre thing I've ever had occur in a fortress.

I recently installed wells, connected to an outside brook via channeling and fortification filters. The wells work just fine for nearly a year, then the most bizarre thing happens.

All 8 tiles surrounding each well became surrounded by dwarves. Most were cleaning themselves, but a few were drinking, despite my alcohol stashes. 32 dwarves in total surrounded the wells (4*, and despite the labor dropoff I paid them no heed.
Nearly a full season later one of my miners died of thirst. I zoom to location and... he's standing at the well. Immediately after that men, women, and even children began keeling over at the wells. As soon as the body had been stowed in a coffin and the belongings stolen away a new dwarf would step up to the well and stare in mesmerization at the water below. As I type this now my fortress population of 81 has now dwindled to 34. Only two dwarves have escaped the mesmerization yet, but I don't think it will be too long before they begin the ritual process themselves.

I hate to admit it but I am going to be savescumming to fix this. But is there any reason why my dwarves would ritualistically kill themselves at the wells while scrubbing themselves clean? They repeatedly alternate clean self and drink. They begin to die of thirst and starve, but never leave for food, they simply grow incredibly angry, dehydrated and famished then finally die, which triggers a near immediate replacement at the well.

This might make #1 in my list of reasons for a Dwarven Fortress collapsing:
Your fortress has crumbled to dust due to: Contracting Acute Obsessive Compulsory Disorder for Cleanliness
Urist McSoapenhands cancels brew drink: Washing hands
Urist McSoapenhands cancels carry corpse: Washing hands
Urist McSoapenhands cancels survive: Washing hands
Urist McSoapenhands cancels survive: Washing hands
Urist McSoapenhands cancels live: Dead

"Carry rocks? Are you daft? They're FILTHY! The sheer thought makes me want to wash my hands... must wash my hands... must... wash."

[Baughn]

Oh, wow..

You should definitely add this to the bug-tracker. I'd try to see if it's already there, but.. er, I have no idea how to search it. 

Anyway, see if you can get a save from when they're OCD'ing, as well as just before?

[thijser]

These dwarfs just want to join armok. Before they can do that they need to be clean so they clean themself to death.

[Sphalerite]

Are you in an environment where water freezes outdoors?  Dwarves trying to use wells in freezing conditions can get caught up in a loop where the water in the bucket the moment the dwarf fills it from the well, so they have to dump out the ice and then try and get more water.

[Labs]

There are dark spirits in your wells. Ancient entities from before time have possesed the waters below and now your dwarves gather in hypnotic worship of these beings. That, or they are just really, really dirty.

[Toast024]

The water probably had blood, snow, sand, forgotten beast excrement, or bloody forgot beast crap snow sand in it. They wash themselves with forgotten beast's bloody crap snow sand, and thus they are still dirty. So they go back and clean again. I suggest running the DFhack utility dfcleanmap every once and a while.

[Karnewarrior]

Don't worry, a SCP Agent squad has been dispatched to your location.

~Dr. Alto Clef

[NW_Kohaku]

Clearly, you have a new forgotten beast in your well: Siren and/or Nymph

They just... that song... so beautiful... listen... hunh... was I thinking something... why does stomache hurt?... but song...

[Medicine Man]

Urist mcdumb "must wash hands!"
Urist mcdumb "must wash hands again!!"
Urist mcdumb "must wash hands again!!"
Urist mcdumb "must wash hands again!!"
Urist mcdumb "must wash hands again!!"
Urist mcdumb "Im hungry,better wash my hands!"
Urist mcdumb has starved to death.

[Beeskee]

Oh wow they OCD'd themselves to death.

The only thing I can think of, besides stuff others have already mentioned, is if a well component is marked forbidden or marked for dumping.

[Aequor]

Obviously your dwarves are just hardcore Lady Macbeth fans.

"Is this a pickaxe I see before me?"

[Ethereal.Frog]

That's Macbeth himself though...

Out, damned rock, out I say!

[Dimglow]

Sorry, I'd already deleted the save.

When I rebuilt the wells the behavior didn't repeat.

The water outside was frozen. It does freeze in winter, but it was not cold enough at the time of the suicides. It wasn't contaminated either. I checked that. I run cleanmap frequently anyway to deal with blood/mess.

There was a siege of goblin lashers locked outside, but they had no way into the water or really any way to even get into my fort. They were locked behind 4 sequential drawbridges.

On the bright side the behavior didn't repeat itself. If it does happen again I'll keep a save.