German Case study

Upper Main in North Bavaria

The Upper Main study area is characterised by a strong interconnection of all WEFE aspects, however, stakeholders mainly communicate on a project-based level, without a fixed communication network.

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Case Study Overview

Discover Germany's Challenges

In Bavaria, a traditional top-down approach to water management is used, but Germany aims to increase digitization in its authorities. Online engagement tools and citizen science could modernize water governance. However, communication and knowledge remain fragmented among governing institutions and water users in the Upper Main region. Frequent hydrological extremes, such as floods and droughts, have heightened tensions among stakeholders, particularly affecting agricultural production due to water scarcity. There is an urgent need to resolve these tensions while ensuring environmental sustainability. Expanding the analysis to include the entire Main catchment area could involve additional water authorities and federal states.

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Our Methodology & Expected Results

Harmonizing Water Use and Environmental Balance

The upper main catchment is located in the northern part of Bavaria in Germany, compare figure 1. The catchment has an area of 4.646 km2 (Gauge Kemmern) (Schaffhauser, T., 2017) and is characterized by an east-west slope reaching the highest elevations with 1042.99 m.a.s.l in the Fichtel Mountains. However, 75% of the area is located in lower elevations (Barth, et al., 2004). Soils with low storage capacity predominate (Schaffhauser, T., 2017) and the most common soil type is brown earth (Barth, et al., 2004).

The largest part of the catchment area is used for agriculture and forestry with a proportion of 47.2 % and 43.2 % respectively, whereas 8.0 % of the area is sealed. The largest proportion of agricultural area (60.3 %) is not irrigated. The upper main has two springs (white and red main) and several tributaries (Schaffhauser, T., 2017). In addition to more than 350 mini-Hydropower Plants, one hydropower plant has a capacity > 1MW (LfU,2023).

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Most of the public water supply is provided by groundwater (64.0 %), followed by spring water (16.1 %), surface water (18.6 %) and bank filtrate (1.4 %) (LfS, 2020). The main water users are households and small business (81.9 %). Whereas 18.1 % of the water is used by industry and others. (LfS, 2020).

Our methodology will involve identifying the success factors of water governance schemes and monitoring their impacts on socio-economic and environmental welfare. We will also evaluate the potential for scaling up successful water governance solutions, including governance practices, policy instruments, and pricing policies.