Local-Regional Governance Approaches for more Effective TBA Management

Worldwide countries face challenges to restore and preserve water resources in accordance with UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. These challenges relate to the ecological, hydrological and hydrogeological domain, societal and policy context, and the role of legal frameworks. Transboundary aquifers (TBAs) and dependent ecosystems present yet another challenge in attaining SDG 6 due to issues related to a lack of coherence of legal and policy frameworks between neighbouring countries. In Europe, the Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC) offers an overarching framework to secure Europe’s waters for future generations. As it uses a river basin approach, it holds a strong potential for effective transboundary management. The requirements set in the WFD regarding international cooperation show a strong resemblance to the target set for transboundary water management in SDG 6. Although the European Commission flagged the WFD as effective in terms of cooperation (2019), water quality improvement seems to have been impeded to date. The studies conducted so far often focus on effectiveness at the scale of river basins. Here, we have studied how governance approaches at the local-regional level support the attainment of water quality ambitions, using scientific literature and empirical material on water quality governance approaches in the Netherlands. Because of the hydrogeological nature of the Netherlands, substantial parts of the country’s aquifers are transboundary. Several of the cases studied are directly influenced by transboundary challenges. In general, our analysis identifies five areas for improvement of water quality governance approaches that are relevant and should be considered in the context of transboundary aquifers. These areas for improvement affect policy responses to drivers, pressures and the state of river basins and related aquifers. This means that the linkages between governance approaches, water system characteristics and the driving forces from other sectors that lead to water quality improvement are much more complex than described in the literature so far and require a joint approach from different sectors and knowledge domains, e.g. hydrology, ecology, law, sociology and economy

Risk governance of potential emerging risks to drinking water quality: Analysing current practices

The presence of emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment may affect human health via exposure to drinking water. And, even if some of these emerging contaminants are not a threat to human health, their presence might still influence the public perception of drinking water quality. Over the last decades, much research has been done on emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment, most of which has focused on the identification of emerging contaminants and the characterisation of their toxic potential. However, only limited information is available on if, and how, scientific information is implemented in current policy approaches. The opportunities for science to contribute to the policy of emerging contaminants in drinking water have, therefore, not yet been identified. A comparative analysis was performed of current approaches to the risk governance of emerging chemical contaminants in drinking water (resources) to identify any areas for improvement. The policy approaches used in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and the state of Minnesota were analysed using the International Risk Governance Council framework as a normative concept. Quality indicators for the analysis were selected based on recent literature. Information sources used were scientific literature, policy documents, and newspaper articles. Subsequently, suggestions for future research for proactive risk governance are given. Suggestions include the development of systematic analytical approaches to various information sources so that potential emerging contaminants to drinking water quality can be identified quickly. In addition, an investigation into the possibility and benefit of including the public concern about emerging contaminants into the risk governance process was encouraged.</p

Moving forward to achieve the ambitions of the European Water Framework Directive: Lessons learned from the Netherlands

The restoration and preservation of freshwater ecosystems is one of the prerequisites for a sustainable and fair future for all and therefore part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6). However, countries worldwide are facing a challenge to achieve this ambition by 2030. This paper focuses on the legal and governance challenges faced in the European context with regard to achieving water quality ambitions, using experiences from the Netherlands as a case study. Although many EU Member States (MS) are facing a challenge to meet the ambitions set by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in 2027, literature on effectiveness of governance approaches in terms of actual water quality improvement, seems to be scarce. Based on interviews, a survey, expert panel discussions and literature we show that in the Netherlands, an important problem is that stakeholders, also within organisations, have different views on ambitions, achievements and necessary follow-up actions. This is problematic because for realising the water quality ambitions, cross-sectoral cooperation (e.g. from agriculture and spatial development) as well as strengthened interlinkages between these related policy fields is crucial. Moreover, there is a tendency to stick to the status quo. In order to increase effectiveness, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms for this lock-in will be necessary. This will enable the development of practical tools and instruments to support cross-sectoral and multi-level collaboration. The sectoral implementation of the WFD in the Netherlands was chosen by many other MS, resulting in similar cross-sectoral challenges as we found in the Netherlands. Insight into how other MS deal with lock-in situations is needed to develop pathways to achieving WFD ambitions

Governance conditions to overcome the challenges of realizing safe urban bathing water sites

This study aims to identify governance conditions to realize urban bathing water sites using case study material from two cities in the Netherlands. Urban waters in Europe are increasingly considered an attractive feature for bathing, but research on the realization of urban bathing water sites has been limited. We find that it is important to account for the connectivity between water systems characteristics and governance conditions to increase effectiveness in the realization of urban bathing water sites. Ambitions regarding urban bathing water sites should be addressed in a wider policy context to create co-benefits, like other ambitions related to water quality, resilience and health. An analytical framework has been developed that could be used to support development and evaluation of future urban bathing water initiatives

The health potential of urban water: Future scenarios on local risks and opportunities

Although cities can be characterised as sources of economic, environmental and social challenges, they can also be part of the solution for healthy and sustainable societies. While most cities are situated close to water, whether inland waterways, lakes, or the sea, these blue spaces are not integrated into urban planning to their full potential and their public health impacts are not always recognised by planning authorities. Furthermore, cities face future challenges regarding climate change, socio-economic developments like tourism, urbanization, and rising social inequalities. The development of healthy blue spaces can support cities in their pursuit of ways to confront these challenges. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary analyses of the local impacts of these trends and promising interventions have been scarce to date. This study explores the use of such methodology by presenting experiences related to five European cities: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Plymouth, Tallinn and Thessaloniki, using an interactive and participative approach with local experts and stakeholders. Future scenarios have been developed based on the question: How can blue spaces contribute to a healthier city population, given the long term trends? The results highlight the importance of addressing the local context when seeking sustainable solutions for cities. The future scenarios deliver information that could serve as useful input for local planning processes

Governance Conditions for Improving Quality Drinking Water Resources: the Need for Enhancing Connectivity

Realising the water quality objectives of the European Water Framework Directive have appeared to stagnate over the last decade all across Europe because of their highly complex nature. In the literature, interactive governance approaches tend to be regarded as the best way of dealing with complex water issues, but so far little empirical evidence has been reported on this perspective in regard to water quality issues. In this paper we have analysed how conditions of governance contribute to the realisation of water quality objectives at different types of drinking water resources in the Netherlands. The analysis demonstrates the importance of addressing different hydrological scales, institutional levels and sectors and thus enhance connectivity in order to improve water quality. The two other important conditions of governance approaches for water quality improvement which were identified are the use of joint fact-finding to gain a shared perception of risks, and the use of explicit decision-making and close monitoring of outcomes (re. water quality improvement), both of which contribute to this enhanced connectivity

The health potential of urban water: Future scenarios on local risks and opportunities

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordAlthough cities can be characterised as sources of economic, environmental and social challenges, they can also be part of the solution for healthy and sustainable societies. While most cities are situated close to water, whether inland waterways, lakes, or the sea, these blue spaces are not integrated into urban planning to their full potential and their public health impacts are not always recognised by planning authorities. Furthermore, cities face future challenges regarding climate change, socio-economic developments like tourism, urbanization, and rising social inequalities. The development of healthy blue spaces can support cities in their pursuit of ways to confront these challenges. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary analyses of the local impacts of these trends and promising interventions have been scarce to date. This study explores the use of such methodology by presenting experiences related to five European cities: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Plymouth, Tallinn and Thessaloniki, using an interactive and participative approach with local experts and stakeholders. Future scenarios have been developed based on the question: How can blue spaces contribute to a healthier city population, given the long term trends? The results highlight the importance of addressing the local context when seeking sustainable solutions for cities. The future scenarios deliver information that could serve as useful input for local planning processes.European Union Horizon 202

Internet of Things for Water Sustainability

The water is a finite resource. The issue of sustainable withdrawal of freshwater is a vital concern being faced by the community. There is a strong connection between the energy, food, and water which is referred to as water-food-energy nexus. The agriculture industry and municipalities are struggling to meet the demand of water supply. This situation is particularly exacerbated in the developing countries. The projected increase in world population requires more fresh water resources. New technologies are being developed to reduce water usage in the field of agriculture (e.g., sensor guided autonomous irrigation management systems). Agricultural water withdrawal is also impacting ground and surface water resources. Although the importance of reduction in water usage cannot be overemphasized, major efforts for sustainable water are directed towards the novel technology development for cleaning and recycling. Moreover, currently, energy technologies require abundant water for energy production. Therefore, energy sustainability is inextricably linked to water sustainability. The water sustainability IoT has a strong potential to solve many challenges in water-food-energy nexus. In this chapter, the architecture of IoT for water sustainability is presented. An in-depth coverage of sensing and communication technologies and water systems is also provided

Towards more effective water quality governance

Worldwide countries face challenges to restore and preserve water resources. This dissertation analyses how governance approaches support the realisation of water quality ambitions set out in the European Water Framework Directive. To this end, the connection between the water system and the governing legal and societal systems was explored, using scientific literature and empirical material on governance approaches in the subdomains of drinking water resources, freshwater ecosystems and bathing water in the Netherlands. This research shows that different disciplinary perspectives exist on the effectiveness of water quality governance, varying from the improvement of the ecosystem (ecology and hydrology), the achievement of requirements set by law (legal studies) to the quality of societal processes regarding participation, transparency and integrity (social science). Combining these perspectives may facilitate the process of setting objectives and their realisation, but does not ensure the desired outcome upfront. If other, conflicting, priorities are set in the societal debate, water quality ambitions cannot be fully realised. This research also shows that different objectives set different demands to governance conditions, related to scale, roles and responsibilities of actors who need to be involved and coherence of the legal and policy frameworks in place. Furthermore, relevant governance conditions in the planning phase appear to be different from those in the realisation phase. This explains the difficulty in realising water quality ambitions as well. Research so far, has focused on the planning phase rather than the realisation phase. Choices made in a governance approach (who to involve, availability and use of instruments, measures and monitoring) may therefore influence the water quality improvement that can be achieved. A joint approach from the social-economic, legal and ecological knowledge domain is necessary to overcome such unintended results

Sustainable River Basin Management under the European Water Framework Directive: an Effective Protection of Drinking-Water Resources

In the Netherlands drinking water is produced both from surface water and groundwater. Due to the shortage of space, resources are often found in combination with other activities, such as those pertaining to industry or agriculture, in the same neighbourhood. These combinations impose strong demands on the water management of the river basin and the legal instruments that are at hand. The European Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000) ensures sustainable availability of good-quality groundwater and surface water. Current drinking-water directives are partially addressed in the WFD, along with ‘new’ obligations such as the river basin approach. One of these obligations is to develop suitable measures for meeting the drinking-water standards taken up in the regulations and to reduce the time needed for treatment of drinking water. This study focused on setting up a protocol - elaborated and evaluated at three different abstraction sites (pilots) - to develop these measures. The so-called ‘area dossier’ offers good insight into the factors influencing water quality for all parties involved and makes it possible to develop suitable and effective measures. The general approach taken in this protocol will enable it to be used by other European Member States