#196.3: Trigger Points in Tehran: Reading the Breaks in a Water Tower

A case study in identifying where targeted intervention can propagate hydrological recovery

Following my series on trigger point methodology in #196, 196.1, #196.2, identifying tight couplings in complex systems where targeted intervention can remap flows and propagate disproportionate recovery. I've developed this case study to demonstrate the framework in action. This analysis is available exclusively to foundation members as part of the ongoing work to build practical tools for landscape-scale restoration.Tehran's water crisis provides a clear example of how to read system breaks, locate remaining couplings, and design interventions that bootstrap self-reinforcing recovery.

The method shown here i.e., mapping stocks and flows, identifying where cascades fail, finding intervention points where small inputs trigger large propagation, applies across geographies where hydrological, ecological, and atmospheric systems have decoupled.