Just for contrast,
Cardwell in Queensland gets close to
seven feet of rain annually, yet is under Stage 1 water restrictions. Any ventures as to why?
Undoubtedly destroyed infrastructure.
But this represents an opportunity.
They could go the traditional route of building new large capture infrastructure, but that exposes them to another round of exposure to destruction, the time involved in design and building, and the associated water treatment infrastructure. A lot of time, and a lot of money.
Or, the could use permiculture principles: Harvest the rainwater in cisterns, which could be operational, uh, tomorrow. Use it to refill the groundwater, and pump it back up through wells....no treatment needed. Use Berms and Basins, Terraces, Infiltration Basins, Imprinting, Diversion Swales and Check Dams---to maximize rainwater harvesting in the natural environment, all to bring the water table up.
Undoubtedly, the situation on the ground may be considerably more complex: contaminated groundwater, or such. But the people on the Cassowary Coast are resourceful, and it seems to me open to new approaches.
However, building large infrastructure, which is the most expensive way imaginable, producing water that is very pure, but used (typically) only 2% for drinking, is very wasteful.
At any rate, that rainfall total is a hell of a resource which is being lost.
