Lovely. Just, lovely.
Is there some reason that sea-side towns or cities can’t pump water directly out of the ocean if a seaside town or city bursts into flame?
Granted, it probably leaves more of a mess, but the fire might get put out in a timely manner and lives saved.
Meh. I’m always too practical. We’ve got to consider Mother Government’s THUMB ON THE SCALE in ALL practical matters these days.
And Brandon’s ‘10% for the Big Guy.’
*SPIT*
Along the oceanside - typically for a roadway . . .
Per hydrant, there should be a below-ground tank of considerable size (at least 10,000 gallons) that is fed by a combination of a pipe that runs in from the ocean -PLUS- a second underground tank (system) that is fed by rainwater.
The water-strainers at the ocean end of the pipe and inside the second undergrand tank, need to be maintained. The strainers might have replaceable "socks" that would be cleaned - thus, "changing socks" are intervals.
Along the roadway vector, there might be a series of "second underground" tanks that are piped together.
The second tank system being independent from the municipal "domestic" water system."
The cistern tank per hydrant (ie not the second tank), includes a float valve mechanism that shuts off the flow of water from the ocean until the water level drops enough - that means the second tank (rainwater system) flow is not enough.
Somewhere in the local government records or library files, we would probably find a history of where some contributors to such a project, tried again and again . . . but met resistance from socialist party purity.
There is an unfortunate, politically-correct (jobs-preservation outranks preservation) symmetry to the dockside USS Bonhomme Richard fire and the oceanside Lahaina fire.