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Foaming water: A study on the importance of close collaboration and the importance of leadership for ensuring clean drinking water without PFAS.

Drinking water is considered an essential necessity and during the late 2000s and early 2010s, Swedish drinking water faced multiple instances of contamination due to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS encompass various chemicals commonly found in foaming firefighting agents. These incidents typically involve multiple actors and organizations, necessitating close collaborative efforts for resolution. The study problematizes how drinking water actors do not understand the need for collaboration and the importance of clear leadership. With a content analysis method and drawing on a close collaboration theory built on Kirk Emersons and Tina Nabatchi's integrative framework of collaborative governance the study explores four different close collaboration drivers: uncertainty, interdependence, follower incentives and initiating leadership.

The study aims to better understand drivers that push different public actors into close collaboration and undertake socially essential problems. Control and safeguarding of Swedish drinking water is distributed over several different municipalities and government bodies. With several actors responsible for the safety of Swedish drinking water, the study concludes that uncertainty has eventually led actors to seek clearer leadership in coordinating future work in PFAS and drinking water. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, among others, has now been given a more significant role in coordinating the Swedish actors in close collaboration related to PFAS and drinking water.