DTE Warren Service Center Stormwater Study

Project Overview

DTE decided an evaluation of the northern 30 acres of the 56 acre Warren Service Center (WSC) site was required after continued site and internal building flooding events, mainly centered around flooding in Building G, a 330,000 square foot building in the northwest corner of the site. NTH modeled the existing drainage system within the study area to determine the capacity of the existing storm/sanitary system and to identify areas for improvements. Additional modeling was completed with a number of suggested modifications to the system to handle an industry-standard 10-year rain event. Detention basin conceptual design along with roof drain rerouting modifications were also completed as part of suggested remedies to mitigate flooding issues at the site.

Project Scope

NTH used historical drawings and a updated topographic survey of the site to develop a storm water model for the system within the study area, including internal building/roof collection and wastewater drainage systems. A CCTV cleaning and inspection was performed to verify survey data and to determine the condition of the existing sewer lines in critical areas as necessary. The stormwater model was created using the Autodesk® Storm and Sanitary Analysis software to evaluate the existing conveyance system network and identify deficiencies in the infrastructure that were leading to the observed flooding.

A full report describing the modeling scenarios, conceptual design options, and corresponding engineer’s probable construction costs were provided to DTE to aid in overall selection of a proposed remedy. A comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of each proposed scenario, along with implications to current Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) post-construction stormwater design standards was also provided.

Client Benefit

Providing potential solutions with upfront capital expenditure for stormwater improvements has allowed DTE to perform a cost-benefit analysis in choosing a strategy for stormwater improvements to mitigate flooding on-site, that may be implemented in a long-term strategy as the master plan for the site is fully developed.