There have been record flows across the south-western Australian river systems this summer, complicating the normal late summer refugia pool sampling program. Hydrobiology has a couple of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge impact assessments ongoing in the region which are not experiencing the usual annual flow patterns. A key methodology we have been developing together with Dr Jacob John at Curtin University is the use of diatoms to assess nutrient impacts. These tiny silica clad algae have identified impacts where other traditional indicators such as macroinvertebrates have not. [Diatom plates]
