A practical method for rehabilitation of stormwater collecting system by node flooding detection and regional hydraulic redesign: a case study of eastern Tehran metropolis

This study investigates the effect of structural modification actions on the existing stormwater collecting system in Eastern Tehran to increase the hydraulic capacity and create suitable conditions for the passage of runoff in the critical points of the canal. First, the hydraulic conditions within the stormwater collecting system were simulated using the Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) model before/after the modification to investigate the rehabilitation results. Three critical locations along the main canal were recognized as the most vulnerable points. Then, based on field visits and brainstorming sessions, rehabilitation methods were presented, and three practical solutions, including canal deepening, canal widening, and their combination, were investigated for each. Then, local investigating based on the rehabilitation alternatives for each critical location was conducted using the HEC-RAS. Finally, the SWMM model was used again to evaluate the overall operational performance of the stormwater collecting system after the rehabilitation. The results revealed that it is necessary to implement two alternatives of deepening and widening to provide adequate transmission runoff capacity during rainfalls with various return periods. More specifically, the localized redesign of the eastern flood diversion canal had an acceptable improvement in reducing flooding problems so that for floods with a return period of 10 years, the number of node flooding dropped from 4 to 0, inundated areas from 17% to 0, and the overflow volume from (10–45) to 0. Moreover, the proposed local rehabilitation reduced the overflow volume from (30–65), (43–74), and (70–92) in the status quo to (4–12), (11–27), and (24–36) for rainfall with 25, 50, and 100-year return periods. HIGHLIGHTS A centralized-decentralized operational performance assessment approach was proposed.; SWMM model was performed to identify critical points in the stormwater collection system.; Critical canal segments were detected based on hydraulic simulation.; Localized redesign alternatives were investigated using with HEC-RAS model.; A practical and straightforward approach was proposed for stormwater collection systems rehabilitation.;