Increasing levels of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in watercourses in the northern hemisphere are mainly due to reduced acid rain, climate change, and changes in agricultural practices. However, their impacts vary in time and space. To predict how DOM responds to changes in environmental pressures, we need to differentiate between allochthonous and autochthonous sources as well as identify anthropogenic DOM. In this study we distinguish between allochthonous, autochthonous, and anthropogenic sources of DOM in a diverse watercourse network by assessing effects of land cover on water quality and using DOM characterization tools. The main sources of DOM at the studied site are forests discharging allochthonous humic DOM, autochthonous fulvic DOM, and runoff from urban sites and fish farms with high levels of anthropogenic DOM rich in protein-like material. Specific UV absorbency (sUVa) distinguishes allochthonous DOM from autochthonous and anthropogenic DOM. Anthropogenic DOM differs from autochthonous fulvic DOM by containing elevated levels of protein-like material. DOM from fishponds is distinguished from autochthonous and sewage DOM by having high sUVa. DOM characteristics are thus valuable tools for deconvoluting the various sources of DOM, enabling water resource managers to identify anthropogenic sources of DOM and predict future trends in DOM.

During the last decade, it has become evident that planet earth will be warming. Hence, there is an increasing focus on how to adapt to a changing climate. The adaptation literature underlines the importance played by local government in planning and implementing adaptation policies. This article is addressing learning–knowledge–action processes within and between local (municipal) and central (national and regional) government levels, thereby filling a gap in the literature. The analysis is using empirical data from Norway; a country commonly considered as having a well-developed multi-level governance system, with a strong bottom-up component, thereby apparently meeting a core condition for developing and implementing transformational changes. The study finds that single and double-loop learning are dominating, fostering incremental changes, but combined incremental changes related to technically handling surface water are approaching transitional change. As a first step, the study suggests it is necessary to formulate policies that explicitly combe incremental changes in order to achieve transitional and transformational change. Moreover, policies for fostering oppositional knowledge networks as part of vertical–horizontal governance may be necessary for pushing the system in the direction of transition and transformation.

Increasing levels of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in watercourses in the Northern hemisphere is mainly due to reduced acid rain, climate change, and changes in agricultural practices. However, their impacts vary in time and space. To predict how DOM respond to changes in environmental pressures we need to differentiate between allochthonous and autochthonous sources, as well as identify anthropogenic DOM. In this study we distinguish between allochthonous, autochthonous, and anthropogenic sources of DOM in a diverse watercourse network using DOM characterization tools and by assessing effects of land cover on water quality. Main sources of DOM are forests discharging allochthonous humic DOM, autochthonous fulvic DOM, and runoff from urban sites and fish farms with high levels of anthropogenic DOM rich in protein like material. Specific UV absorbency (sUVa) distinguish allochthonous DOM from autochthonous and anthropogenic DOM. Anthropogenic DOM differ from autochthonous fulvic DOM by containing elevated levels of protein like material. DOM from fishponds is distinguished from autochthonous and sewage DOM by having high sUVa. DOM characteristics thus provide valuable tools for deconvoluting the various sources of DOM allowing water resource managers to predict future trends in DOM and detect anthropogenic sources of DOM.

Several actors have an impact on the quality of drinking water, but ultimately drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) play a decisive role in ensuring that water quality complies with public regulations. Several developing technologies are combined in water treatment processes. In this paper, we are analysing the technological development of DWTPs in the South Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. The empirical basis is five DWTPs of varying size, and data are gathered through semi-structured interviews with relevant staff inside and outside of the five DWTPs. This study identifies the interplay of factors driving technological development: public regulations, the economic capacity of local DWTP owners together with subsidies from the European Union and national authorities, political priorities by local authorities, and the knowledge network. The paper addressess learning–knowledge–change processes of DWTPs, thereby contributing to our understanding of developing competence in producing drinking water. Generally, large DWTPs are front-runners in introducing new technologies while the smaller ones are lagging. Still, private companies operating small plants on behalf of municipal owners ensure that those DWTPs are part of a wider knowledge network, aiding to introduce a necessary and cost-effective upgrade to treatment steps

This paper addresses water governance in the context of dissolved organic matter emissions into water bodies and cultural eutrophication. Through a comparative interdisciplinary analysis of cases from Norway, the Czech Republic, and China, it seeks to identify core principals of effective water governance and suggest strategies for achieving good ecological and chemical status of raw water. The analysis presents each case by exploring natural and societal processes, emphasising the interdependence between society and nature, and applying a theoretical framework. In this way, the paper contributes to the broader field of water governance studies. The central conclusion is that raw water quality results from “muddling through” processes involving stakeholders with diverse and sometimes conflicting interests. Building the capabilities to manage such contingencies is essential for successful governance. Four critical dimensions are identified as key to this capability: (i) robust environmental knowledge and literacy; (ii) stronger representation of non-human interest; (iii) regulatory measures and economic incentives to enhance raw water quality; and (iv) integrated multi-level governance combining top-down and bottom-up approaches. Strengthening these dimensions can also help mitigate the structural economic pressure driving the exploitation of “cheap nature”.