What the Cairns rain record says before a pool is emptied for resurfacing

By Artigellence · 6 October 2026

The Bureau of Meteorology's table for Cairns Aero puts mean rainfall at 404.8 mm in January and 33.2 mm in July. It does not say when a pool should be resurfaced; it is one local record to hold against a provider's schedule. Queensland law bars pool backwash from waters, a roadside gutter and stormwater drainage, so a pool that is empty in a wet month is a place to ask where the water goes. The draining page covers the rule, and the pool resurfacing costs and rules check lists every line with its source.

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A line of black pool fence palings with the paved edge of a pool beyond — pool fence and safety certificate, Cairns. Illustrative example.

What the table says

The Bureau's page for Cairns Aero, station 031011, gives a mean for every month of the year, taken over the years the station has records. It was read on 6 October 2026.

Wettest months: January 404.8 mm, February 437.5 mm and March 422.1 mm are the three highest means in the table.
Driest months: July 33.2 mm, August 26.5 mm and September 34.1 mm are the three lowest.
Between them: April 201.8 mm and December 193.8 mm are the next wettest; the other months sit between the two groups.

What the table does not say

The record carries no statement about pools. It does not say when a pool should be drained, resurfaced or refilled, and no regulator or council page read for this site says so either. Treat it as a local fact, not a calendar for the job.

What Queensland law says about the water

The Environmental Protection Regulation 2019 lists waste water, including backwash from swimming pools, as a prescribed water contaminant. The Environmental Protection Act 1994 says a person must not unlawfully deposit one in waters or in a roadside gutter or stormwater drainage, and sets a wilful maximum of 1,665 penalty units. No Cairns council page about draining a pool was read, so only the Queensland rule is stated here.

What to ask the provider

Put these to the provider before a date is set. They are our questions, not a rule from any source.

Rain: If the pool is empty or open for any part of the job, how does the quote deal with a wet day, and who decides when to stop?
Water: Where will the pool water and any wash-down water go, and has that route been checked?
Fence: Does any section of the fence come out, and who installs the temporary fence?

What could change

The Bureau adds to its table as years pass, and the Act and Regulation are amended. Read the Bureau's current table and the Queensland legislation before you rely on any figure here.

Artigellence is the marketing business that operates this site and writes its articles. It does not carry out the work described.

Draining a pool and backwash, the rule and the rain record