Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/initialization.m
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/initialization.m	(revision 16039)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/initialization.m	(revision 16040)
@@ -56,4 +56,5 @@
 			if (ismember(EnthalpyAnalysisEnum(),analyses) & md.thermal.isenthalpy) | solution==EnthalpySolutionEnum(),
 				md = checkfield(md,'initialization.waterfraction','>=',0,'size',[md.mesh.numberofvertices 1]);
+				md = checkfield(md,'initialization.watercolumn'  ,'>=',0,'size',[md.mesh.numberofvertices 1]);
 			end
 			if ismember(HydrologyShreveAnalysisEnum(),analyses),
Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/initialization.py
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/initialization.py	(revision 16039)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/classes/initialization.py	(revision 16040)
@@ -69,4 +69,5 @@
 		if (EnthalpyAnalysisEnum() in analyses and md.thermal.isenthalpy) or solution==EnthalpySolutionEnum():
 			md = checkfield(md,'initialization.waterfraction','>=',0,'size',[md.mesh.numberofvertices])
+			md = checkfield(md,'initialization.watercolumn'  ,'>=',0,'size',[md.mesh.numberofvertices])
 		if HydrologyShreveAnalysisEnum() in analyses:
 			md = checkfield(md,'initialization.watercolumn','NaN',1,'size',[md.mesh.numberofvertices])