diff --git a/server/src/atlas/drainage.rs b/server/src/atlas/drainage.rs
index 1e198efcd..8a73ee06b 100644
--- a/server/src/atlas/drainage.rs
+++ b/server/src/atlas/drainage.rs
@@ -45,6 +45,13 @@ const D8: [(i32, i32); 8] = [
 pub struct DrainageResult {
     pub river_network: RiverNetwork,
     pub drainage_basins: Vec<DrainageBasin>,
+    /// Per-cell flow accumulation (row-major, `w × h`): the upstream cell count
+    /// draining through each cell. Exposed for D-209 attractor-strength
+    /// normalization (`flow_accumulation[cell] / max_accumulation`).
+    pub flow_accumulation: Vec<i32>,
+    /// Maximum flow accumulation across the grid — the denominator for
+    /// normalized attractor strength (D-209). Always ≥ 1.
+    pub max_accumulation: i32,
 }
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -87,9 +94,15 @@ pub fn analyze(elevation: &[f32], width: u32, height: u32, sea_level: f32) -> Dr
     // 8. Build DrainageBasin structs.
     let drainage_basins = build_basins(&labels, w, h);
 
+    // Max accumulation for D-209 strength normalization (clamped ≥ 1 so the
+    // division is always well-defined, even on a flat/empty world).
+    let max_accumulation = accum.iter().copied().max().unwrap_or(1).max(1);
+
     DrainageResult {
         river_network,
         drainage_basins,
+        flow_accumulation: accum,
+        max_accumulation,
     }
 }
 
@@ -378,6 +391,30 @@ fn label_basins(fdir: &[i8], accum: &[i32], w: usize, h: usize) -> Vec<i32> {
 // Step 7: Merge small basins
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+/// Union-find root with path compression.
+fn uf_find(parent: &mut [i32], x: i32) -> i32 {
+    let mut root = x;
+    while parent[root as usize] != root {
+        root = parent[root as usize];
+    }
+    let mut cur = x;
+    while parent[cur as usize] != root {
+        let next = parent[cur as usize];
+        parent[cur as usize] = root;
+        cur = next;
+    }
+    root
+}
+
+/// Merge small basins into their largest neighbor until the count is in
+/// `[min_count, max_count]` and every basin holds ≥ 2% of the surface.
+///
+/// Builds a basin adjacency graph + sizes in a single grid pass, then performs
+/// all merges as union-find operations on that graph — the grid is rewritten
+/// exactly once at the end. This replaces the former O(merges × n) loop (which
+/// rescanned the whole grid per merge: ~250ms at 512×256) with O(n + merges).
+/// Determinism: smallest basin chosen by `(size, id)`, largest neighbor by
+/// `(size, then lowest id)` — both fixed orders.
 fn merge_small_basins(
     mut labels: Vec<i32>,
     w: usize,
@@ -385,52 +422,91 @@ fn merge_small_basins(
     min_count: usize,
     max_count: usize,
 ) -> Vec<i32> {
+    use std::collections::BTreeSet;
     let n = w * h;
     let min_frac = 0.02f64; // 2% minimum basin area
 
-    for _ in 0..200 {
-        // Count basin sizes.
-        let mut sizes: std::collections::BTreeMap<i32, usize> = std::collections::BTreeMap::new();
-        for &l in &labels {
-            *sizes.entry(l).or_insert(0) += 1;
-        }
-        let n_basins = sizes.len();
+    let max_label = labels.iter().copied().max().unwrap_or(0);
+    let nb = (max_label + 1) as usize;
+    if nb <= 1 {
+        return labels; // single basin — nothing to merge
+    }
 
-        // Stop if within target range and all basins are large enough.
-        if n_basins <= max_count && sizes.values().all(|&s| s as f64 / n as f64 >= min_frac) {
-            break;
-        }
-        if n_basins <= min_count {
-            break;
-        }
-
-        // Find the smallest basin.
-        let (&smallest_id, &smallest_size) = sizes.iter().min_by_key(|(_, &s)| s).unwrap();
-
-        if n_basins <= max_count && smallest_size as f64 / n as f64 >= min_frac {
-            break;
-        }
-
-        // Find its largest adjacent basin.
-        let nbr_id = find_largest_neighbor(&labels, smallest_id, &sizes, w, h);
-        let merge_into = nbr_id.unwrap_or(0);
-
-        // Merge.
-        for l in labels.iter_mut() {
-            if *l == smallest_id {
-                *l = merge_into;
+    // One pass: basin sizes + adjacency (neighbor labels per basin).
+    let mut size = vec![0usize; nb];
+    let mut adj: Vec<BTreeSet<i32>> = vec![BTreeSet::new(); nb];
+    for r in 0..h {
+        for c in 0..w {
+            let l = labels[r * w + c];
+            size[l as usize] += 1;
+            for &(dr, dc) in &D8 {
+                let nr = r as i32 + dr;
+                let nc = (c as i32 + dc).rem_euclid(w as i32) as usize;
+                if nr >= 0 && nr < h as i32 {
+                    let nl = labels[nr as usize * w + nc];
+                    if nl != l {
+                        adj[l as usize].insert(nl);
+                    }
+                }
             }
         }
     }
 
-    // Renumber contiguously from 0.
-    let unique: Vec<i32> = {
-        let mut set: std::collections::BTreeSet<i32> = std::collections::BTreeSet::new();
-        for &l in &labels {
-            set.insert(l);
+    let mut parent: Vec<i32> = (0..nb as i32).collect();
+    let mut active: BTreeSet<i32> = (0..nb as i32).collect();
+
+    while active.len() > min_count {
+        // Smallest active basin (tie → lowest id; BTreeSet iterates ascending).
+        let smallest = *active.iter().min_by_key(|&&b| (size[b as usize], b)).unwrap();
+        let smallest_size = size[smallest as usize];
+        if active.len() <= max_count && smallest_size as f64 / n as f64 >= min_frac {
+            break;
         }
-        set.into_iter().collect()
-    };
+
+        // Largest active neighbor (tie → lowest id).
+        let mut best: i32 = -1;
+        let mut best_size = 0usize;
+        for &nb_lbl in &adj[smallest as usize] {
+            let rep = uf_find(&mut parent, nb_lbl);
+            if rep == smallest {
+                continue;
+            }
+            let s = size[rep as usize];
+            if s > best_size || (s == best_size && (best < 0 || rep < best)) {
+                best_size = s;
+                best = rep;
+            }
+        }
+        // No neighbor (isolated basin) → merge into the next smallest active.
+        let merge_into = if best >= 0 {
+            best
+        } else {
+            match active.iter().find(|&&b| b != smallest) {
+                Some(&other) => other,
+                None => break,
+            }
+        };
+
+        // Union smallest → merge_into; fold size and adjacency.
+        parent[smallest as usize] = merge_into;
+        size[merge_into as usize] += smallest_size;
+        let small_adj = std::mem::take(&mut adj[smallest as usize]);
+        for nb_lbl in small_adj {
+            let rep = uf_find(&mut parent, nb_lbl);
+            if rep != merge_into {
+                adj[merge_into as usize].insert(rep);
+            }
+        }
+        active.remove(&smallest);
+    }
+
+    // Resolve every cell to its basin representative (single pass).
+    for l in labels.iter_mut() {
+        *l = uf_find(&mut parent, *l);
+    }
+
+    // Renumber contiguously from 0.
+    let unique: BTreeSet<i32> = labels.iter().copied().collect();
     let remap: std::collections::BTreeMap<i32, i32> = unique
         .iter()
         .enumerate()
@@ -443,45 +519,6 @@ fn merge_small_basins(
     labels
 }
 
-fn find_largest_neighbor(
-    labels: &[i32],
-    target_id: i32,
-    sizes: &std::collections::BTreeMap<i32, usize>,
-    w: usize,
-    h: usize,
-) -> Option<i32> {
-    let n = w * h;
-    let mut neighbor_sizes: std::collections::BTreeMap<i32, usize> =
-        std::collections::BTreeMap::new();
-
-    for i in 0..n {
-        if labels[i] != target_id {
-            continue;
-        }
-        let r = i / w;
-        let c = i % w;
-        for &(dr, dc) in &D8 {
-            let nr = r as i32 + dr;
-            let nc = (c as i32 + dc).rem_euclid(w as i32) as usize;
-            if nr >= 0 && nr < h as i32 {
-                let nbr_id = labels[nr as usize * w + nc];
-                if nbr_id != target_id {
-                    let size = sizes.get(&nbr_id).copied().unwrap_or(0);
-                    let e = neighbor_sizes.entry(nbr_id).or_insert(0);
-                    if size > *e {
-                        *e = size;
-                    }
-                }
-            }
-        }
-    }
-
-    neighbor_sizes
-        .into_iter()
-        .max_by_key(|(_, s)| *s)
-        .map(|(id, _)| id)
-}
-
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Step 8: Build DrainageBasin structs
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------