Membrane fouling is an obstacle for the efficient operation of membrane plantsused for the desalination of brackish water and drinking water treatment. Amongthe foulants in raw waters, natural organic matter ( NOM ) is a major cause ofmembrane fouling. A systematic bench-scale investigation on the roles of calciumconcentration and hydrodynamics (controlled by permeate flux and cross flow rate)in nanofiltration ( NF) membrane fouling by NOM is reported. It is shown that NOMfouling is determined by an interplay between chemical and hydrodynamicinteractions. Includes figures.