diff --git a/opm/simulators/flow/FlowBaseVanguard.hpp b/opm/simulators/flow/FlowBaseVanguard.hpp
index 11e685bee2c..a55545ca2c9 100644
--- a/opm/simulators/flow/FlowBaseVanguard.hpp
+++ b/opm/simulators/flow/FlowBaseVanguard.hpp
@@ -361,21 +361,12 @@ class FlowBaseVanguard : public BaseVanguard<TypeTag>,
         cellCenterDepth_.resize(numCells);
 
         ElementMapper elemMapper(this->gridView(), Dune::mcmgElementLayout());
+        const auto& inputGrid = this->eclState().getInputGrid();
 
-        const auto num_aqu_cells = this->allAquiferCells();
-
-        for(const auto& element : elements(this->gridView())) {
+        for (const auto& element : elements(this->gridView())) {
             const unsigned int elemIdx = elemMapper.index(element);
-            cellCenterDepth_[elemIdx] = cellCenterDepth(element);
-
-            if (!num_aqu_cells.empty()) {
-                const unsigned int global_index = cartesianIndex(elemIdx);
-                const auto search = num_aqu_cells.find(global_index);
-                if (search != num_aqu_cells.end()) {
-                    // updating the cell depth using aquifer cell depth
-                    cellCenterDepth_[elemIdx] = search->second->depth;
-                }
-            }
+            const unsigned int global_index = cartesianIndex(elemIdx);
+            cellCenterDepth_[elemIdx] = inputGrid.getCellDepth(global_index);
         }
     }
     void updateCellThickness_()
@@ -395,21 +386,6 @@ class FlowBaseVanguard : public BaseVanguard<TypeTag>,
     }
 
 private:
-    // computed from averaging cell corner depths
-    Scalar cellCenterDepth(const Element& element) const
-    {
-        typedef typename Element::Geometry Geometry;
-        static constexpr int zCoord = Element::dimension - 1;
-        Scalar zz = 0.0;
-
-        const Geometry& geometry = element.geometry();
-        const int corners = geometry.corners();
-        for (int i=0; i < corners; ++i)
-            zz += geometry.corner(i)[zCoord];
-
-        return zz/Scalar(corners);
-    }
-
     Scalar computeCellThickness(const typename GridView::template Codim<0>::Entity& element) const
     {
         typedef typename Element::Geometry Geometry;